China-US relations: Donald Trump planning more curbs on students, says Mike Pompeo
- Secretary of State tells radio programme US President has taken a ‘serious, serious look’ at espionage concerns but says ‘not all Chinese students are spies’
- Comments come as it emerges University of North Texas told 15 researchers on a Chinese government scholarship they would have to leave the country
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Donald Trump is weighing more restrictions on Chinese students in the US in the “coming weeks and months”.
The comments came as it emerged that a more than a dozen Chinese researchers would be forced to leave the US after a Texas university suspended its relationship with a Chinese government-funded scholarship programme.
There has been growing scrutiny of Chinese scholars at US universities over concerns about intellectual property theft, but critics have warned that policy overreach could target ordinary students and encourage xenophobic sentiments.
The growing tensions between the US and China have already spilled over into the academic sphere.
In May, the Trump administration moved to restrict graduate students and researchers associated with the People’s Liberation Army.
More recently, the US designated Confucius Institutes – programmes run by the Chinese government to teach Chinese language and culture – as “foreign missions” for carrying out a “malign influence campaign” aimed at American universities.