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In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had proposed aggressively revoking visas of Chinese students.
The United States and China have been locked in a trade standoff for several months (Photo: AP)
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that his administration will accept up to 600,000 Chinese students to study in the US. The declaration comes as Washington and Beijing continue a series of high-stakes negotiations over trade tariffs and diplomatic cooperation.
“We’re going to allow, it’s very important, 600,000 students,” Trump told reporters from the Oval Office. “We’re going to get along with China. But it’s a different relationship that we have now with China.”
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Trump’s comments signal a notable shift from the administration’s previously hardline stance on Chinese nationals entering the US. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had proposed aggressively revoking student visas, particularly targeting individuals with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or those involved in sensitive academic research.
However, in June, Trump softened his tone, stating that he has “always been in favour” of welcoming students from China, a message he has now reiterated more clearly. According to the Los Angeles Times, there are currently about 270,000 Chinese students enrolled in American universities.
In addition to his student visa remarks, Trump expressed a willingness to engage diplomatically with Chinese President Xi Jinping. When asked whether a meeting could take place soon, Trump said, “I’d like to meet him this year. President Xi would like me to come to China. We’re taking a lot of money in from China because of the tariffs and different things.”
Trump made the remarks ahead of a scheduled meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, as part of broader US engagement with East Asia.
The US and China have been locked in a trade standoff for several months. On April 1, the Trump administration imposed a sweeping 145% tariff on all Chinese goods, prompting a swift retaliation from Beijing with 125% tariffs on US exports. In early August, Trump signed an executive order extending the trade negotiation deadline to November 10.
Last week, the US President also floated the idea of introducing a 200% tariff on Chinese-manufactured magnets, citing China’s global dominance in rare-earth materials. “China, intelligently, went and they sort of took a monopoly on the world’s magnets. It’ll probably take us a year to have them,” Trump said.
- Location :
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
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