Beijing has urged Washington to protect the interests of international students amid reports that the United States government has halted the scheduling of new interviews for student visa applicants.

针对美国政府暂停安排学生签证申请人新面签的报道，北京已敦促华盛顿方面切实保障国际学生权益。

"China believes that education cooperation and academic exchanges should not be disrupted," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday.

外交部发言人毛宁周三表示：“中方认为教育合作与学术交流不应受到干扰。”

Mao made the remark after foreign media reported that the US government is considering requiring all foreign students applying to study in the US to undergo social media vetting, and in preparation for the vetting, is ordering US embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for such visa applicants.

此前，外媒报道称，美国政府正考虑要求所有赴美留学的外国学生接受社交媒体的审查，并为此暂停美国使领馆对该类签证申请人新的签证面谈。

The spokeswoman said that China is following the current development, which comes days after the US government revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students. The revocation has been temporarily blocked by a court restraining order.

毛宁指出，中方正密切关注事态发展。此前数日，美国政府刚取消哈佛大学招收国际学生的资格，该决定现已被法院限制令临时叫停。

"We urge the US to protect the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of all international students, including those from China," Mao added.

她强调：“我们敦促美方切实保障包括中国留学生在内的所有国际学生的合法权益。”

In an interview with China Media Group on Wednesday, a staff member of the US embassy in Beijing said the embassy has not received relevant information, and visa applications and interviews are proceeding as usual.

在周三接受中国环球电视网采访时，美国驻华大使馆工作人员表示未收到相关信息，签证申请及面签程序均正常进行。

A 20-year-old Chinese student, who is majoring in computer science at a US university, said the reported measure will not affect his studies in the US, because he already has a long-term student visa.

一位就读于美国大学计算机专业的20岁中国留学生表示，该政策不会影响其学业，因其已持有长期学生签证。

However, those currently applying for majors at US universities may feel anxious about the move, he said, adding that the US is not as welcoming for international students as it used to be.

但他指出，当前正在申请美国院校的学生可能因此焦虑，并坦言“美国对国际学生的欢迎程度已不如往昔”。

According to a report released on Friday by New Oriental Education and Technology Group, an education company in China, the US has been the second most popular country for Chinese students who intend to study abroad for six years in a row.

据中国的教育公司，新东方教育科技集团上周五发布的报告显示，美国已连续六年位居中国留学生意向目的地第二位。

However, the US government has stepped up its crackdown on international students this year, including by abruptly terminating their legal status.

然而今年以来，美政府持续加大对国际学生的限制力度，包括突然终止其合法身份等举措。

halt

/hɔ:lt/

v.使停止;停止，终止

vet

/vet/

v.审查;仔细检查

legitimate rights

合法权利

embassy

/ˈembəsi/

n.大使馆；使馆官员

crackdown

/ˈkrækdaʊn/

v.打击；镇压