Trump Takes Different Tack Amid Trade Talks, Granting Visas to 600,000 Chinese Students

US President Donald Trump has defended his decision to approve 600,000 visas for Chinese students, following criticism from members of his own political base. The move marks a reversal of the hardline stance previously adopted by his administration in relation to Chinese nationals studying in the US.

In an interview, President Trump said it would be "insulting" to ban students from China and argued that the decision would help smaller universities financially. The announcement comes amid ongoing trade talks between Washington and Beijing.

The decision has drawn backlash from prominent figures in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) wing of Trump's Republican Party. Fox News host Laura Ingraham expressed confusion over the policy change, stating, "I just don't understand it for the life of me. Those are 600,000 spots that American kids won't get." 

Conservative commentator and Trump supporter Laura Loomer also criticised the move on social media platform X. She wrote, "Nobody, I repeat nobody, wants 600,000 more Chinese 'students' aka Communist spies in the United States."

Despite this criticism, President Trump maintained that allowing Chinese students into the country is beneficial. "I have a very good relationship with [Chinese] President Xi. I think it's very insulting to a country when you say you're not going to take your students," Trump told.

According to the BBC, the White House stated that the 600,000 student visas will be issued over a two-year period. This figure aligns with numbers issued in previous years and does not represent an increase in overall visa approvals.

President Trump also stated that he is not expecting anything in return for the decision. "No, I just think it's, I think it's, I think what we're doing is the right thing to do," he told. "It's good to get along with countries, not bad, especially, you know, nuclear-powered countries."

Earlier this year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced plans to "aggressively" revoke Chinese student visas, particularly for individuals with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in sensitive academic fields. This was in response to worsening relations between the US and China, including a trade war initiated by tariffs imposed under Trump's leadership.

As trade tensions eased into a temporary truce, President Trump's latest move marks a significant departure from the previous visa policy. Trump also stated in the interview that "China's paying us a lot of money right now. They're paying us hundreds of millions of dollars."