Trump administration will ‘aggressively revoke’ Chinese student visas in major escalation with Beijing

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The United States will “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday in a major escalation of tensions with Beijing, and another blow to American higher education institutions.

The plan was met with strong opposition from China, which saidon Thursday it had lodged a formal protest with the US over what it called a “politically motivated and discriminatory” move.

The revocations will target Chinese students including “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” Rubio said.

“We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” he said, noting