The United States will intensify efforts to revoke visas of Chinese students, particularly those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or enrolled in critical academic fields, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday.

The policy shift marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign targeting U.S. universities and international students.

Rubio stated that visa criteria will be revised to “enhance scrutiny” of applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong, signaling a broader crackdown on Chinese nationals studying in the U.S.

The move follows previous administration actions, including the revocation of thousands of student visas, detentions, and deportations linked to political activism, as well as attempts to restrict international student enrollment at institutions like Harvard University.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students,” Rubio said.

“China said Friday that the U.S. was “unjustifiably” canceling Chinese student visas “under the pretext of ideology and national security.”

“This politically discriminatory move exposes the hypocrisy of America’s long-proclaimed values of freedom and openness, and will only further damage the United States’ international image and credibility,” Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing in Beijing.

On Tuesday, it was reported that the Trump administration had paused new visa interview appointments for prospective international students.

An internal State Department cable indicated the move was to allow for the implementation of expanded social media screening measures for applicants.

China remains the second-largest source of international students in the United States, following India.

However, enrollment numbers have declined in recent years due to escalating U.S.-China tensions and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.