United States Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Thursday that Washington will not permit China to exploit US universities.

Speaking at a press briefing, Bruce explained that the US "will not tolerate the CCP's [Chinese Communist Party] exploitation of US universities or theft of US research, intellectual property or technologies to grow its military power, conduct intelligence collection or repress voices of opposition." She explained that this is the reason for the US administration's decision to cancel visas for some Chinese students.

The spokesperson's remarks come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the day before that the US will "aggressively revoke" the visas for Chinese students tied to the CCP or those "studying in critical fields."