BEIJING (AP) – The Chinese government has complained to the United States over its treatment of Chinese nationals arriving to study in the United States, with some being interrogated for hours, having their electronic devices searched and, in some cases, being forced to do so. He said he had been deported.
According to a post on the Chinese embassy’s website, Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador in Washington, said that dozens of Chinese people have visited the country each month for the past few months when returning to school from overseas trips or visiting relatives in China. He said he had been refused entry.
“When they landed at the airport, what awaited them was an eight-hour interrogation by police officers, ban on contact with their parents, baseless accusations, and even deportation and entry bans. “It was done,” he said at a press conference on Sunday. Student exchange event at the embassy. “This is absolutely unacceptable.”
The protests are aimed at encouraging student exchanges and other exchanges to strengthen relations between the United States and China, which have been at odds in recent years over trade, technology, human rights and, more fundamentally, the future direction of the world. It happened while I was there.
There are nearly 290,000 Chinese students in the United States, about one-third of the country’s international students, according to the embassy post. More than 1.3 million students study abroad in China, more than any other country.
In a separate online statement, the Chinese embassy said it had made a “solemn representation” to the U.S. government regarding the treatment of students arriving at Washington, D.C.’s Dulles Airport. urged people to be careful.
It was unclear whether Hsieh’s comments referred only to the incident at Dulles or to other entry points as well.
Chinese state media has reported at least three incidents at Dulles since November in which Chinese students lost their valid student visas, received five-year entry bans, and were repatriated after lengthy interrogations. There is.
They will be asked whether their research is funded by the Chinese government, whether they are members of the Chinese Communist Party or its youth wing, and whether their research is affiliated with the Chinese government, the Chinese military, or major national research institutes. I was asked if I was. The students headed to the National Cancer Institute, Yale University, and the University of Maryland, respectively.
At least eight Chinese nationals who entered the United States with valid documents have been repatriated since November, state media reported.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing did not respond to a request for comment.
A statement from the Chinese embassy said the affected students had their electronic devices searched, were prohibited from communicating with the outside world and were detained for more than 10 hours in some cases. The border guard’s actions “severely affected the academic studies of international students from China and caused significant psychological damage,” the report said.
The statement also said the action violates an agreement between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping to promote people-to-people exchanges during their meeting last November.