Lin Jian, the newly appointed 34th spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, meets the press. Photo: Courtesy of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

China urges the US to correct its wrongdoing of harassing, interrogating, and deporting Chinese citizens entering the US without just cause and China will continue to adopt resolute measures to safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens, Chinese Foreign Ministry said in response to the Washington Post’s recent special report on the unwarranted harassment, interrogation and deportation of Chinese students and scholars by US border officials which received much attention in the US. 

The Washington Post recently published a special report on the interview with six Chinese students and two visiting scholars who were unreasonably harassed, interrogated, and deported without just cause upon their arrivals at the US airports, detailing what happened to some of them, which have received much attention domestically in the US.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in response during a Wednesday briefing that China has repeatedly stated its solemn position on the US, without any just cause, harassing, interrogating, and deporting Chinese citizens, especially students and scholars.

The US frequently adopts discriminatory, politically motivated and selective law enforcement against Chinese students, which severely violates the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of the persons concerned, disrupts normal cross-border travel between China and the US, runs counter to the US’ commitment to facilitating and supporting cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and contravenes the common aspiration of the two peoples in carrying out friendly exchanges.  

We urge the US to earnestly listen to the voices from various sectors in both countries, stop poisoning the public support for the bilateral ties, correct its wrongdoing of harassing, interrogating, and deporting Chinese citizens without just cause, and thoroughly look into the relevant cases, offer the victims a fair explanation, Lin said, noting that China will continue to adopt resolute measures to safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens. 

Global Times