Republican legislation seeks to ban Chinese nationals from studying in the US

A group of House Republicans during the weekend put forward legislation seeking to prevent Chinese students from studying in American schools, as some U.S. lawmakers are targeting China over national security concerns.

Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., introduced the bill that could bar Chinese nationals from receiving visas that allow foreigners to travel to the U.S. to study or participate in exchange visitor programs. Five other Republicans co-sponsored the measure.

By granting Chinese nationals such visas, the U.S. has “invited” the Chinese Communist Party “to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” Moore said in a statement.

The measure is unlikely to pass, and it has drawn criticism from organizations and scholars over concerns that hostile policies and rhetoric toward Chinese students could hurt U.S. interests.

“No policy should target individuals solely on the basis of their national origin,” Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of NAFSA, an association of international educators, said in a statement.

“Making international students — the most vetted and tracked nonimmigrants in the United States — a scapegoat for xenophobic and anti-Chinese sentiment is misguided and antithetical to our national interest,” Aw said.