President Donald Trump's administration has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to fulfil its hardline immigration agenda.
In a statement, Rubio said the department will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong.
"The US State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students," he said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China is also at the epicentre of Trump's global trade war that has roiled financial markets, upended supply chains and fuelled risks of a sharp worldwide economic downturn.
The number of Chinese international students in the United States has dropped to about 277,000 in 2024 from a high of around 370,000 in 2019, driven partly by growing tension between the world's two biggest economies and heightened US government scrutiny of some Chinese students.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported the US Department of State had halted new appointments for all foreign student and exchange visitor visa applicants, according to an internal cable.
The latest crackdown on visas adds to uncertainty for international students
Together, the announcements from the State Department add uncertainty for America's international students, who have faced intensifying scrutiny from the Trump administration.
with AP
