White House Expels Chinese Grad Students With Ties To People’s Liberation Army

As President Trump prepares to sign a bill imposing new sanctions on Chinese officials involved with the country’s sprawling security state, the White House has just unveiled its latest measure to turn up the pressure on Beijing: Chinese grad students with ties to the PLA will be barred from returning.

The news comes as China’s Politburo Standing Committee officially weaves a new “National Security” law effectively barring political dissent into HK’s Basic Law, according to the NYT.

Per the NYT, the Trump administration plans to cancel the visas of thousands of Chinese graduate students and researchers studying at US Universities who have ties to the People’s Liberation Army, according to anonymous administration officials.

This isn’t the first time the White House has considered barring some or all Chinese students in the US. Back in 2018, the FT reported that  the Trump administration had considered banning all Chinese students from the United States – an idea that was attributed to Trump advisor Stephen Miller.

And according to the NYT, this measure has been in the works for some time, and was being considered before China moved to crack down on Hong Kong’s autonomy.

Moreover, this might not be the end of Trump’s retaliation: The president has a long list of possible responses to China’s plans to impose a national security law on Hong Kong, according to Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell, who spoke to reporters last night.