Chinese students at US colleges will be 'fine', says Donald Trump

President Donald Trump sought to downplay worries among Chinese student visa holders over his administration’s scrutiny, saying he would tell them that everything would be “fine” as they pursue their studies in the US.

“Well, they’re going to be OK It’s going to work out fine,” Trump said Friday night when asked what his message would be for students who want to remain in the country.

“We just want to check out the individual students,” he added. “That’s true of all colleges.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week announced that the US plans to start “aggressively” revoking visas for Chinese students, saying those affected would be individuals with “connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” Rubio added that the US would enhance security “of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.”

The move drew sharp criticism from China, which called it discriminatory and exacerbated tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Earlier Friday, Trump also accused China of reneging on a trade truce negotiated earlier this month between the countries that saw them ease tit-for-tat trade levies that had roiled financial markets and threatened to pitch the global economy into a downturn.

The restrictions on Chinese student visas are part of a broader administration push to increase scrutiny of foreigners attending American universities.

Harvard University has been the chief target of that campaign, as it has fought Trump’s efforts to force elite institutions to change their policies on a wide range of matters from admissions to hiring.

Earlier Friday, Rubio ordered consular officers to conduct “a complete screening of the online presence” for any applicant who wants to visit Harvard, including but not limited to “prospective students, students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and tourists.” The stricter vetting will include social media accounts, he said.

The administration has frozen more than $2.6 billion in federal research funding for Harvard and moved to cut off all federal contracts. The university has sued over the funding cuts and also won a temporary court order blocking the administration from enforcing a ban on federal students at the school.

Trump on Wednesday also said Harvard should cap its foreign student enrollment at 15 per cent. The administration has also sought information from Harvard about foreign students enrolled there, including disciplinary records and video of those engaged in protests.

“I don’t know why Harvard’s not giving us the list,” Trump said Friday night. “There’s something going on because Harvard’s not giving us the list. They ought to give us the list and get themselves out of trouble.”

Administration officials have said their efforts to force changes at universities is aimed at cracking down on antisemitism tied to protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.

At Harvard, nearly 6,800 students — 27 per cent of the entire student body — come from other countries, up from about 20 per cent in 2006, according to university data.