Secretary of State Marco Rubio, taken from DOS profile picture, 2025
Washington — May 28, 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced sweeping visa restrictions aimed at curbing the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in American institutions. The new measures will revoke visas for Chinese nationals with ties to the CCP and tighten scrutiny of future applicants, particularly those pursuing advanced studies in sensitive fields like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
“These new visa policies put America first, not China,” Mr. Rubio said, framing the decision as a national security imperative under President Trump’s leadership.
The crackdown follows years of mounting concern in Washington over Chinese students and scientists accused of stealing trade secrets and emerging technologies from U.S. universities and research institutions. Past espionage cases have cost American companies billions of dollars, fueling bipartisan efforts to limit Beijing’s access to strategic sectors.
Mr. Rubio framed the new policy as a continuation of the Trump administration’s commitment to preventing intellectual property theft and countering foreign influence on U.S. soil.
While the announcement did not mention human rights, Mr. Rubio has been a vocal critic of Beijing’s repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. In March, he condemned the forced deportation of more than 40 Uyghur refugees from Thailand to China, calling it “a silent handover to a genocidal regime.” The United States subsequently imposed visa sanctions on Thai officials involved in the deportations.
As a senator, Mr. Rubio co-sponsored the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, and pushed for sanctions on entities such as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and surveillance firms like Hikvision —now blacklisted by the U.S. Commerce Department.
The policy shift is part of a broader Trump administration strategy to counter Chinese influence while reaffirming support for democratic values and human rights.
