China urges US to ‘stop harassing’ its students at the border ‘for no reason’

Call from Wang Xiaohong, China’s public security minister, comes during talks with US homeland security chief in Vienna on drug control cooperation

US must ensure ‘fair entry treatment and full dignity’ for Chinese citizens, Wang tells Alejandro Mayorkas in talks labelled as ‘constructive’

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Chinese Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong and US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas greet each other in Vienna, Austria, on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00pm, 19 Feb 2024Updated: 8:16pm, 19 Feb 2024

China has asked the United States to end the “unwarranted harassment” of its students, following renewed reports of interrogation and deportation at a key US airport.

The call from Wang Xiaohong, China’s public security minister, came during a meeting with his US counterpart Alejandro Mayorkas in Vienna on drug control and related law enforcement cooperation. Both sides described Sunday’s talks as “candid” and “constructive”.

According to state news agency Xinhua, Wang urged the US “to stop harassing and interrogating Chinese students for no reason, and ensure that Chinese citizens enjoy fair entry treatment and full dignity”.

He also said Washington should “lift visa restrictions on relevant Chinese institutions and personnel”, Xinhua reported.

Wang’s statement came some three weeks after China lodged a formal protest against the US for allegedly blocking Chinese students at the border.

The meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas was part of renewed bilateral engagement following an ice-breaking summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden in San Francisco in November.

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