On January 28, 2024, the Chinese Embassy in the United States held a commemorative event to commemorate the 45th anniversary of studying in China and the United States and the 2024 Chinese New Year Celebration for Chinese and American Youth.
Ambassador Xie Feng said in his speech that the "chilling effect" of the US "China Action Plan" has not been eliminated, and Florida has recently enacted a law to prohibit Chinese students from working in public university laboratories. Every month, dozens of international students and other Chinese people going to the United States are denied entry, these students hold legal and valid visas, have no criminal records, go to the United States to return to school after traveling abroad, returning to China to visit relatives, but when they enter the country, they are taken into a "small black room" for up to 8 hours of interrogation, they want to contact their parents but are refused, they are labeled without definite evidence, and even forcibly repatriated and banned from entering the country, which is absolutely unacceptable.
Xie Feng said that the Chinese side has made clear to the US side its solemn position of strong opposition at the first time, and will continue to resolutely safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens. Xie Feng said that the vitality of ideas comes from mutual learning, and the development of science is inseparable from exchanges. Studying abroad is an important choice in life, and it requires a lot of energy and valuable resources. The politicization and instrumentalization of educational exchanges and cooperation will not only block the path of international students to study and change their life plans, but will also lead to the loss of cutting-edge talents in the United States and jeopardize the scientific research environment and innovation vitality of the United States itself. If normal people-to-people exchanges are artificially cut off, how can the relations between the two major powers be maintained and developed?