President Donald Trump announced plans to significantly expand the number of Chinese students allowed to study in the United States, even as trade negotiations with Beijing remain tense.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said his administration would open the door to as many as 600,000 Chinese college students—a dramatic increase from the current 270,000 enrolled in U.S. universities. “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… But we’re going to get along with China.”
The proposed increase comes in contrast to recent moves by top officials to tighten restrictions on Chinese nationals. Back in May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio introduced a plan to crack down on student visas, specifically targeting Chinese students with links to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in sensitive fields.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the State Department will work with Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students,” Rubio said, citing national security concerns.
The Chinese Communist Party, which dominates China’s political system, has more than 90 million members, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Rubio’s earlier efforts led to over 4,000 student visa revocations for foreign nationals with criminal records, including charges like arson and DUI.
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attempted to revoke 7,000 student visas at Harvard University alone—an effort later blocked by a federal judge.
Despite past crackdowns, Trump reiterated in June that he has “always been in favor” of allowing Chinese students to study in the U.S. If implemented, the 600,000-student quota would mark the highest number of Chinese students ever admitted into the country. The previous high was around 370,000 in 2019 before numbers fell due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Trump’s latest statement also comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to escalate over trade. Since taking office in January, Trump imposed a 145% tariff on all Chinese goods, prompting China to respond with a 125% tariff on U.S. exports.
While trade talks have slowed, Trump recently floated the idea of a 200% tariff on Chinese-made magnets, citing China’s dominance in the global magnet market and warning it would take the U.S. “a year to have them.”
