President Trump announced 600,000 Chinese students would be allowed into the U.S. to study at colleges amid ongoing trade talks with the foreign super power.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump’s announcement signals a potential thaw in U.S.-China relations after escalating tariffs and restrictions on Chinese students.
“I hear so many stories that we’re not going to allow their students,” Trump told reporters.
“We’re going to allow their students to come in. It’s very important, 600,000 students. It’s very important. But we’re going to get along with China,” he added.
Trump’s student visa offer comes against the backdrop of trade talks with the Chinese government.
Earlier this year, the administration imposed a 145% tariff on all Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to retaliate with a 125% tariff on U.S. exports.
Negotiators in Geneva agreed in May to pause additional levies, but Trump has continued to warn of further penalties.
Last week, he floated a 200% tariff on Chinese-made magnets, citing what he described as Beijing’s “monopoly” over the global market.
Currently, about 270,000 Chinese students are enrolled in U.S. universities, according to The Hill.
Trump’s comments marked a shift from earlier in the year, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he planned to “aggressively” revoke visas from Chinese students, particularly those “with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”
Trump has since shifted tone, telling reporters in June that he has “always been in favor” of welcoming students from China.
However, Trump’s announcement has rubbed some of his staunchest allies the wrong way it seems.
“We should not let in 600,000 CHINESE students to attend American colleges and universities that may be loyal to the CCP,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted on the social platform X.
“Why are we allowing 600,000 students from China to replace our American student’s opportunities?” Greene added. “We should never allow that. And we need more trade school graduates.”
Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and staunch Trump ally, also expressed her displeasure with the move in a series of posts on social media.
“Nobody, I repeat nobody, wants 600,000 more Chinese ‘students’ aka Communist spies in the United States,” Loomer posted on X.
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