US says it will not tolerate China’s ‘exploitation' of American universities

​​​​​​​By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US said Thursday it will not tolerate the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “exploitation” of American universities, following the announcement about Chinese students’ visas.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters that the US “will not tolerate the CCP’s exploitation of US universities or theft of US research, intellectual property or technologies to grow its military power, conduct intelligence collection or repress voices of opposition.”

Bruce emphasized that every visa determination about a Chinese student is treated as a “national security decision," and the administration is taking recent developments “seriously” and acting “openly” to protect Americans.

Her comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that the State Department will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, particularly those connected to the CCP or studying in sensitive fields.

“We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong,” Rubio said in a statement.