[International] US Visa Issuance to Chinese Students Drops by 30%, Think Tank Says It Aids National Security
RtiTalk 小編18d ago
A report by a US think tank indicates that the number of F-1 student visas issued by the United States to Chinese citizens from May to August 2025 decreased by 34% compared to the same period in 2024. The report suggests that reducing the number of Chinese students helps mitigate the risk of technology outflow and safeguard US national security.
George Fishman, a researcher at the Center for Immigration Studies, a US think tank, released a report on the 3rd local time. According to statistics from the Institute of International Education (IIE), the number of F-1 student visas issued by the US to Chinese citizens from May to August 2025 decreased by 34% compared to the same period in 2024. This represents a larger decrease of 46% compared to the average for the same period from 2017 to 2024 (excluding 2020).
The report explains that the period from May to August was chosen for comparison because most F-1 visas are issued during this time. For example, in 2024, 76% of all F-1 student visas issued by the US to Chinese citizens were concentrated in this period.
The report states that many espionage activities and commercial secret theft incidents are carried out by students from China. A report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), a congressional commission, points out that Chinese President Xi Jinping views overseas Chinese students and scholars as important forces for promoting technological innovation and military development.
The report also quotes Edward Ramotowski, then Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, who testified in 2018 that foreign students often have no malicious intent when coming to study in the US, but are later recruited to work for their home governments.
Fishman argues that consideration should be given to prohibiting Chinese students from entering the US or obtaining visas, or at least restricting them from studying in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) or other fields of research with military value. Even if such measures cannot be implemented, reducing the number of Chinese students attending US universities can still lower the risk of espionage and technology theft on campuses, thereby helping to safeguard US national security.
China's state-run Global Times criticized the report on the 5th, stating that the significant drop in Chinese student visa numbers is a "direct result of a series of political maneuvers by the US side," including interview suspensions, social media reviews, and background checks. The article criticized this as "politicizing and weaponizing normal study abroad activities, imposing discriminatory restrictions on students from a specific country in the name of national security."(Editor: Chen Wen-wei)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=224772
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