BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday slammed the decision by the University of North Texas (UNT) to expel Chinese students, calling the move, if confirmed true, another example of the U.S. sabotage of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
According to media reports, the UNT recently announced it will terminate its relationship with the China Scholarship Council, demanding revoking visas of students who have been granted allowances by the council and asking them to leave the United States within one month.
Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily press briefing that China-U.S. humanities exchanges, including those of overseas students, have played a significant role in promoting the steady development of bilateral ties since the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations 41 years ago.
The number of Chinese students in the United States accounts for about one-third of the total, contributing more than 15 billion U.S. dollars to the country annually.
Unfortunately, for some time, certain extreme anti-China forces in the United States have stigmatized and demonized Chinese students with a myriad of lies out of personal political interests and the strategic demand to suppress and contain China's development. They even used judicial power to maliciously suppress Chinese students on trumped-up charges, said Hua.
"Under such circumstances, I wonder how many Chinese parents are still willing to send their children to study in the United States," she said.
"The United States was founded on openness, inclusiveness, and pluralism, while the country we see today is full of insularity, hatred, and exclusion," she said.
The spokesperson urged the United States to view China-U.S. ties and people-to-people and cultural exchanges in an objective way, and contribute more to the two peoples' mutual understanding, correct recognition towards each other, and friendly cooperation between the two sides.
"If the U.S. insists on obstinately going its own way, it will ultimately damage the interests of the U.S. itself," Hua added.