Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing firmly opposed the new policyChina on Friday called on the United States to withdraw its new visa restrictions, describing the measures as "discriminatory" and warning that it reserved the right to take reciprocal countermeasures.Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing firmly opposed the new policy, arguing that it served no one's interests.The response came a day after the Trump administration unveiled stricter visa rules for international students, cultural exchange visitors and foreign journalists. Among the changes, the United States reduced the validity of visas for Chinese journalists to 90 days.Under the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations, F visas for international students, J visas for cultural exchange participants and I visas for journalists will no longer remain valid for the duration of a person's study programme or employment. Instead, they will be issued for fixed periods. The rule will come into force 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, subject to congressional review.The revised policy limits student and exchange visas to a maximum of four years. Journalist visas will generally be valid for up to 240 days, while Chinese journalists will be restricted to 90-day visas. Visa holders will still be able to apply for extensions.The regulations also impose tighter rules on international students. Graduate students will not be allowed to change their educational objectives or transfer to another institution without prior authorisation. In addition, the grace period to leave the United States after completing studies or training has been reduced from 60 days to 30 days.The Trump administration said the changes were intended to strengthen oversight of legal immigration. Since returning to office in January 2025, it has tightened scrutiny of visa holders, revoked student visas and green cards in some cases, and withdrawn the legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants.According to DHS, there were more than 1.8 million student visa admissions in 2024, an increase of over 11 per cent compared with the previous year. The department also issued visas to more than 500,000 exchange visitors and 37,300 journalists during the fiscal year.DHS said the growing number of visa holders had made monitoring more challenging and cited cases of students and exchange visitors remaining in the United States for decades. Under the new system, anyone wishing to stay beyond the permitted period must either apply for an extension or leave the country and seek readmission.The policy has drawn criticism from immigration experts. Former DHS official Doug Rand argued that the rules would discourage talented international students from choosing the United States."Most Americans understand the value of welcoming international students and getting rid of needless red tape. This rule would do the opposite."David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, also questioned the legal basis for restricting students from changing institutions or academic goals."International students, many of whom will have spent years in the USA, will now have just 30 days to find an employer to sponsor them or immediately be turned into illegal immigrants. Have these people no understanding of how life works?" he said.