U.S. admin's shifting stance fuels uncertainty for Chinese students

The U.S. administration is sending mixed signals that could impact Chinese students in the U.S.

Reuters on Wednesday reported that the Trump administration has recently proposed tightening visa duration for Chinese students and media personnel, citing national security concerns. The move, if implemented, would roll back the long-term, multi-entry visas previously available to international students, potentially making academic exchanges more difficult.

Earlier this week, Trump made a comment saying that the U.S. would welcome as many as 600,000 Chinese students.

"I hear so many stories about 'We are not going to allow their students,' but we are going to allow their students to come in. We are going to allow it. It's very important – 600,000 students," Trump said when asked by reporters during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the Oval Office on Monday.

It was a shift after the State Department announced in late May that it would "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students."

NPR reported that U.S. colleges have already seen a significant drop in international student enrollment as the fall semester begins, attributing the decline partly to visa policies and a tense political environment. 

After decades of growth, the number of Chinese students in the U.S. peaked at 372,532 in the 2019-2020 academic year, just as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. The number slipped to 289,526 in 2022 and further dipped to 277,398 in 2023.

In the past year, several U.S. universities, including the University of Michigan, have ended their joint partnerships with Chinese universities after Republicans raised concerns that U.S. dollars have contributed to China's tech advancement and military modernization.

Experts say the number of students is likely to fall further because of tense bilateral relations and China's declining population.

(With input from agencies)