China slams U.S. authorities over unfair treatment of Chinese students

China on Friday lashed out at U.S. authorities for making discriminatory and unjust treatment of Chinese students pursuing academic studies in the United States, urging the U.S. side to stop the harassment of Chinese students and respect their legitimate rights and interests.

"Recently, the U.S. side has frequently carried out discriminatory, political and selective law enforcement against Chinese students, subjecting them to unfair treatment. They are taken into 'black rooms,' repeatedly interrogated for hours -- some detained for up to more than 70 hours -- and questioned on matters entirely unrelated to their purpose of study in the U.S. Some even had their visas revoked and were denied entry under the pretext of 'possible threats to national security'," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press conference in Beijing.

"Such actions seriously infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens, obstruct normal exchanges between the two peoples, and damage the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Whenever such incidents occurred, China would lodge solemn representations with the U.S. side at the earliest opportunity, expressing strong dissatisfaction and urging the U.S. to conduct thorough investigations and correct its mistakes," she said.

Mao stressed that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have always adhered to putting people first, and that as China's diplomacy is people-centered, no Chinese citizen traveling to the United States is allowed to be treated unfairly at any time and in any place.

"We urge the U.S. side to face the problem squarely, take China's concerns seriously, honor its leaders' statements of welcoming Chinese students, and stop the unjustified interrogation, harassment and deportation of Chinese students and scholars. China will continue to take effective measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens studying in the U.S.," said the spokeswoman.

China slams U.S. authorities over unfair treatment of Chinese students

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China signals a policy shift towards building a more pragmatic relationship between the two countries, according to a Canadian researcher.

Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin an official visit to China through Saturday, which marks the first trip by a Canadian Prime Minister to the country in eight years.

Robert Hanlon, director and principal investigator of Canada and the Asia Pacific Policy Project (CAPPP) at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that Carney's visit indicates Canada is recalibrating its strategic perception of China, which could cement the foundation for the country's economic diversification efforts and boost the development of bilateral cooperation.

"I think it's a clear message that he has moved Canada's strategy to a much more pragmatic, interest-based, -focused relationship with our trading partners, moving away from values-based narratives that we might have heard on previous governments. Canada has spoken about moving from what the Prime Minister's Office is calling "from reliance to resilience", and that means diversifying our economies and our trade everywhere in the world. And so China being our second largest trading partner, it makes perfect sense for our PM to head to Beijing," he said.

The scholar also noted the huge cooperation potential between the two sides in economic and trade fields, citing Canada's efforts to step up shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the planned construction of an oil pipeline in Alberta which aims to increase export access to Asian markets. "Canada and China both share tremendous economic opportunities together and so finding ways to enhance our exports. Canada specifically looking to build out its LNG and oil, kind of export market. We know Canada is a major producer of critical minerals and China is a buyer. And so there's a lot of synergy between that kind of those kind of markets," he said.

Canadian PM's visit to China paves way for more pragmatic trade ties: scholar