On June 3, Beijing issued an official warning to Chinese students who want to study in the US, in the context of the escalating US-China trade war.

(Photo: Xinhua News Agency)

On June 3, Beijing issued an official warning to Chinese students who want to study in the US, in the context of the escalating US-China trade war.

China’s Ministry of Education urged students and scholars to `improve risk assessment` after US visa issuance became increasingly delayed and many people were refused.

`For a period of time, some Chinese students in the US have faced situations where visas were limited or delayed, visa terms were shortened, or visa applications were rejected` – CCTV television station quoted

“The Ministry of Education would like to remind (Chinese) students and scholars to improve risk assessment, strengthen prevention awareness and make appropriate preparations.”

The warning comes as China and the US are locked in a trade war, with Beijing blaming Washington for the deteriorating relationship.

In addition to increasing tariffs on goods worth $200 billion, the US also put telecommunications corporation Huawei on the trade blacklist citing security concerns.

Mr. Hu Xijin, Editor-in-Chief of the Global Times, wrote on Twitter on June 3 that the Ministry of Education’s warning was in response to `a recent series of discriminatory measures by the US against Chinese students and

China accounts for the largest number of foreign students in the US, about 31% – according to the latest data from the US Department of Homeland Security.

Although the US remains the preferred destination for Chinese students, its appeal has waned in recent years.

A survey by China’s largest private education provider, New Oriental Education & Technology Group, found that 43% of respondents considered the US as their top choice in 2019, down from 49% two years ago.

Han Yi, an employee of Beijing-based consulting firm JLL Overseas Education, said he saw many cases of Chinese students in the US encountering delays in the visa process, causing the ratio of mainland students to choose

Beijing-based Easy Transfer Company – specializing in transferring money to pay tuition fees for Chinese international students – said that the total transaction volume reached 776 million USD in 2018 and is estimated to reach 1 billion USD this year.

According to Song Minh

Labor