88,000 Student Visas Rejected by Canada; US Deports Chinese Students Suspected as Spies

Chinese students face increasing difficulty entering the U.S., deportation rates rise, and visas rejected in large numbers. The Chinese think the world revolves around them, arrogant in Japan but doomed in Russia. Dongguan has collapsed, from the world's factory to China's sex capital, with countless women flooding bars and nightclubs. Is the CCP's military even worse than the national football team? Xi Jinping's speech takes an unexpected turn. Missing for over a month, rumors spread that Liu Jianchao, minister of the CCP's International Liaison Department, has been confirmed as a U.S. spy. You're watching Decoding China, where we bring you timely analysis and grounded perspectives on today's China. Chinese students face increasing difficulty entering the U.S., deportation rates rise, and visas rejected in large numbers. Chinese students studying abroad are facing what feels like the sky falling. Entering the United States is becoming increasingly difficult. Many who have traveled back and forth multiple times are still taken into so-called black rooms for interrogation. A small slip can lead to deportation. As political and economic tensions between Beijing and Washington intensify, U.S. immigration and entry policies toward Chinese students are becoming ever stricter. One female student shared her experience. This is my second time entering the U.S., and I was again taken into a black room. The first time in Los Angeles, I was asked many questions. And because I didn't answer well, I ended up there. This time in Miami, they barely asked anything but still put me in the black room. Luckily, after only a few checks, I was allowed in. I plan to stay two weeks before leaving. My advice is, prepare everything in advance, including hotel bookings and paperwork, to avoid trouble. A male student recounted that he was interrogated in the black room for over an hour, the longest ever. They practically asked about all 18 generations of my ancestors. Probably because my passport shows stamps from sensitive countries like Iran and Iraq. I expected to be questioned, but not for this long. This was truly unforgettable. He warned others to be honest, as U.S. customs despises dishonesty. From what he observed, up to 50% of people in the immigration line were taken into black rooms. While some were fortunate enough to be admitted, another student was deported immediately at the airport and banned from entering the U.S. for five years. The case spread rapidly on Chinese social media and within student communities. Meanwhile, Canada has adopted even tougher measures. As universities reopened in September, tens of thousands of Chinese students could not attend, because their visa applications were denied. In just the first half of 2025, Canada rejected 88,000 student visa applications, a 70% decrease compared to the same period in 2024. Even more striking, 125,000 work visa applications were denied, cutting a total of 210,000 temporary immigrants within six months. One illustrative case is that of Gu, a Chinese student pursuing a master's degree at the University of Houston. He was detained for 36 hours at Houston airport, underwent three rounds of interrogation totaling 10 hours, before being deported back to China. U.S. customs officials found in his phone that he had joined multiple WeChat groups run by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, CSSA. According to the U.S. Congress, CSSA is directed by Chinese consulates, aiming to monitor students and promote Beijing's political agenda abroad. In his testimony, Gu stated that while his parents were Communist Party members, he himself was only a Youth League member. His master's program had no direct ties to the Chinese government. Yet officials remain suspicious after discovering his links to CSSA and discussions about CSC, the China Scholarship Council. CSC, under China's Ministry of Education, has long sponsored thousands of Chinese graduate students to study in the U.S. In July this year, the U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party urged American universities to cut ties with CSC, citing structural security risks, including technology transfer, intelligence collection, and expanded political influence. U.S. officials also scrutinized a morality report from Gu's undergraduate years, in which he had written, I firmly support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and adhere to Xi Jinping's guiding thought. Gu explained this was required by his school and did not reflect his personal beliefs. However, the officer pressed, Why should I believe what you're saying now rather than what you once wrote on paper? After hours of questioning, Gu was forced to take an oath under a surveillance camera, swearing not to lie and to answer truthfully. This time, officials recorded everything carefully to create an official transcript. Twenty minutes later, Gu was informed of his fate, deportation and a five-year entry ban. His student visa was canceled with black ink, and he was asked to sign on an electronic tablet to confirm the ruling. Experts note that Gu's case highlights how closely the U.S. monitors CSC and CSSA. Both are considered instruments of Beijing's United Front Strategy, directed by Chinese embassies and consulates. A U.S. congressional report had already warned that CSSA not only monitors students but also harasses activists, suppresses free speech, and has even been implicated in cases of industrial espionage. Wang Jiuan, president of the Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP, remarked that this case demonstrates the extent of CCP infiltration abroad, which has alarmed the international community and triggered countermeasures. He emphasized that Chinese students wishing to avoid such predicaments must cut ties with the CCP and its affiliated organizations, recognize its true nature, and declare withdrawal from all related groups. Only then, he argued, can they find a safer path forward. The Chinese think the world revolves around them? Arrogant in Japan, but doomed in Russia. Look at this. Don't play it loud. Not in public. Those were the words of a heated argument on a subway in Japan when a Chinese woman deliberately played the live broadcast of the September 3rd military parade at full volume. Another Chinese passenger approached and asked her to stop because it was disturbing others. Instead of complying, she lashed out, repeatedly demanding, What does this have to do with you? This is Japan, so what? I'm Chinese. Can't I watch? The man reminded her that public places require silence, but the woman only became more aggressive. Her son, a blogger who filmed the incident, said the quarrel dragged on for quite some time as his mother was stirred by nationalist emotions from the parade. Some netizens revealed that the woman had married a Japanese man, but her behavior was widely condemned, with many suggesting it could be reported to the embassy for deportation. Others argued that people like her, unable to change their own difficult reality, cling to authority in search of false dignity. They believe they are showcasing national strength, forgetting that it was this very strength that forced them to leave their homeland in the first place. The most oppressed are ironically proud to side with the oppressors. One long-term Chinese resident in Japan commented that up to 80% of Chinese people there harbor hatred toward Japan. Even more disturbingly, one woman openly said she moved to Japan just so she could one day witness the country's destruction. Yet ironically, despite their criticism of Japan, many Chinese tourists return home carrying suitcases full of goods. Beer, shampoo, toothbrushes, ointments, and cosmetics. One traveler even admitted, Honestly, I feel embarrassed. China has so many beer manufacturers. Yet I had to go all the way to Japan to buy beer. Japanese beer tastes much better. It's not that I worship foreign goods, but Chinese products made for export are far superior to what's sold domestically. At home, we're left with the worst quality, while Japan keeps the best for itself. This extreme nationalism is not confined to Japan. In South Korea, a Chinese woman confronted Taiwanese tourists at a sky capsule attraction, asking, Taiwan is not part of China, right? When they answered, Yes, she exploded, hurling insults and threatening that China will deal with Taiwan. She later uploaded the video herself, boasting it had racked up more than 200,000 views in just hours. Many criticized her as a little pink, a term for CCP brainwashed nationalists, whose reckless behavior abroad embarrasses China. In Japan, another Chinese man blocked a tourist bus near Mount Fuji, refusing to let it depart because his relatives were late. He stood in front of the bus, blocked the doors, and shouted until his family arrived, delaying the trip by five minutes. In Singapore, a Chinese woman loudly argued with staff at Shake Shack after being stopped from bringing in McDonald's food. In Malaysia, a group of Chinese tourists refused to wear seatbelts, were fined during a roadside inspection, and even demanded to be taken to police headquarters to argue their case. Bloggers in Singapore remarked that most Chinese tourists can't understand even basic English, and are better off traveling domestically. Abroad, especially in Singapore, those who don't know English should expect fines. Some joked that no smoking signs should be removed, because many Chinese tourists don't understand them and might assume smoking is allowed, giving Singapore police an excuse to issue more fines. Meanwhile, Beijing continues cracking down on foreign language education, eliminating English from many exams and forcing students to study Xi Jinping thought. Scholars warn, this is a form of ideological isolation that keeps young Chinese from understanding the real world. Even at home, shocking incidents occur. On September the 6th in Shanghai, a woman insulted a sushi chef, calling the food cheap stuff for low-class people, knocked over a dish, and slapped a man who intervened. She even demanded police arrest the man first, otherwise their actions would be illegal. Ultimately, she was forcibly taken away. Commentator Shiko noted that such behavior stems from the collapse of traditional morality and the lack of any outlet for social grievances under CCP rule. With injustice unresolved in family, workplace, and society, many vent their frustration in public, and verbal abuse is just the tip of the iceberg. Yet this arrogance vanishes when Chinese travel to Russia. Despite Beijing and Moscow loudly promoting China-Russia friendship, ordinary Chinese visitors face routine discrimination. A Chinese student posted a viral video from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport showing Chinese passengers forced into the Red Customs Channel for intensive checks, while travelers from other countries walked freely through the Green Channel. He remarked, the so-called China-Russia friendship is just empty words. The reality is disappointing. Commentator Urushan added that historically, Russia invaded and occupied Chinese territory, with CCP leaders, backed by the Soviet Union, effectively recognizing those losses. Today, under international pressure, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin rely on each other to counter the United States, but ordinary Chinese still face suspicion and mistreatment in Russia. The fact that they behave meekly in Russia, but act aggressively in Southeast Asia and elsewhere highlights a deep-seated mentality, bullying the weak while fearing the strong. Dongguan has collapsed, from the world's factory to China's sex capital, with countless women flooding bars and nightclubs. Once known as the world's factory, the city is now shifting its focus to a booming nighttime economy. Dance halls, bars, KTVs, and even government-backed night markets are springing up, bringing new vitality to the city. After years of hardship with factories shutting down and capital fleeing, local authorities are betting on the nightlife economy to turn things around. Officials in Dongguan announced that since mid-July, they have rolled out a new policy to boost the service sector, streamlining approval procedures for performances at bars, KTVs, and other entertainment venues. This is considered the city's most significant policy change in a decade. From renovated bars to neon-lit clubs, the lively atmosphere seems to be returning, making many believe the city has finally awakened after more than 10 years of stagnation. However, not everyone is convinced by this revival. Dongguan was once famous not only for its manufacturing industry, but also for its flourishing sex trade, earning it the nickname China's Sex Capital. At its peak, luxurious services in Dongguan could cost hundreds of thousands of yen a night and amount far beyond the lifetime earnings of a regular worker. But all of this came to a halt in 2014 when the government launched a sweeping crackdown, shutting down more than 2,000 entertainment venues and causing the local economy to collapse. Today, even as authorities encourage nighttime spending, the reality looks very different. The factories that once sustained the economy are gone, Taiwanese-invested businesses have pulled out, and foreign capital has dried up. Locals question the point of reopening. No orders, no factories, no jobs, no money. Who's going to spend is a common sentiment among residents. Factory closures are worsening. A secondhand equipment dealer in Talang Township reported that his warehouses are overflowing with unsold machinery, much of it reduced to scrap metal. Since August, the market keeps getting worse, he said. Machines are piling up, and I have no idea what to do with them. Data also reflects the downturn. In the first half of 2023, Dongguan's industrial output fell 5.9% year-on-year, with electronic equipment manufacturing down 5% and electrical machinery down 7.4%. Exports also plunged by 11.3% in the same period, dragging annual economic growth down to just 2.6%, far behind Shenzhen and Guangzhou. In 2024, GDP grew slightly by 4.6%, but still below the national average of 5%. Trade tensions with the U.S. and tariff barriers continue to batter export-driven companies. As a result, around 3,500 businesses across industries such as furniture, apparel, electronics, and textiles shut down or relocated in 2023 alone. Chang'an Township, once one of Dongguan's most prosperous areas thanks to BBK Electronics, has now fallen into decline. Shops and factories have shuttered, and for rent signs blanket industrial zones. One longtime resident lamented, I've lived here for over 20 years, and I've never seen anything like this. Not even during the pandemic was it this bad. The wave of closures has created serious social consequences. Many business owners fled or went missing, leaving workers unpaid and forced to protest in the streets. Others returned home early or remained in Dongguan facing unemployment. Reports have surfaced of jobless people sleeping on the streets. A video showed young workers unable to afford rent, forced to sleep inside abandoned concrete pipes on the outskirts of the city. Nicknamed rat people, they spend their days peddling shared bikes in search of odd jobs and nights collecting bottles for recycling. These scenes evoke memories of the Great Depression, but they are happening now in the heart of the Pearl River Delta's former industrial hub. In response, Dongguan authorities continue to push the nighttime economy in hopes of boosting consumption. But analysts argue this is only a short-term fix with little foundation. A KTV owner candidly said, Sure, they're fast-tracking approvals, but it doesn't help. Karaoke bars and nightclubs are struggling to open, and the nightlife economy can't recover. Amid downgraded consumption, rising unemployment, and inconsistent government policies, observers believe Dongguan will find it nearly impossible to recapture the glory of its World Factory days. What is unfolding now is a city struggling in despair, and its nightlife economy dream may soon fade away. Is the CCP's military even worse than the national football team? Xi Jinping's speech takes an unexpected turn. A shocking revelation has rocked both domestic and overseas opinion. The Chinese Communist Party's military has been exposed as being even worse than the national football team. The rocket force's missile launch failure rate is as high as 50 percent, while corruption has rotted the institution to its core. Against this backdrop, President Xi Jinping's speech at the September 3rd military parade almost completely omitted the word peace, widely seen as a warning signal for a possible forceful reunification. According to analysis from Hong Kong media, compared with Xi's 2015 parade speech that ran 1,078 characters and repeatedly emphasized peace, this year's version was reduced to just 945 characters, with no mention at all of peace and development as the theme of the era. Instead, Xi declared that humanity now faces a choice between peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum. His rhetoric was laden with the smell of gunpowder, coupled with demands that the military firmly safeguard national sovereignty, unification, and territorial integrity to serve China's great national rejuvenation. Even the slogans changed. From 2015's justice will prevail, peace will prevail, the people will prevail, to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable. At the same time, another incident set public opinion ablaze. Popular blogger Zhang Xuefeng boasted that if war broke out, he would donate 100 million yuan. His words were immediately and fiercely denounced by state media and Hainan. An article in Elephant News bluntly asked, Zhang Xuefeng, are you calling on Chinese people to fight a war against their own compatriots? Why are you binding reunification with the sound of gunfire? Isn't this digging a pit for the consensus of peace? The piece went further, declaring that patriotism is a responsibility and an action, not a tool to monetize online traffic. Yet, not long after publication, the article mysteriously disappeared from Elephant News website, sparking fresh debate. Copies continued to circulate on other platforms, and netizens flooded the comment sections. In a surprising twist, the very little pinks, usually regarded as ultra-nationalist defenders, turned on Zhang Xuefeng, mocking and ridiculing him. Comments went viral, you donate money so others can donate their lives. When their lives are gone, the money is still yours. Or, when the guns fire, send Zhang Xuefeng as the suicide squad. I'll be the overseer, and I won't show mercy. Others accused him of hypocrisy, pointing out that while he shouted slogans about patriotism, his own family lived safely in Hong Kong. Just as the domestic uproar peaked, overseas whistleblower Du Wen dropped a bombshell. On his program Inside, Look at China, he revealed that a former military friend of high rank had confided that corruption permeates the entire military. If you're not corrupt, you can't climb up, the friend said. Equipment is in disarray, and the rocket force is worse than China's soccer team, even weaker than the Beiyang fleet of old. All that remains is empty boasting. Du Wen recounted being shown an internal documentary titled The Worries of Victory, intended only for officers at regimental level and above. In one shocking segment during US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 2022 visit to Taiwan, the PLA rocket force launched 10 new missiles as a show of force, but five failed, either failing to ignite, veering off course, or exploding midair, a 50% failure rate. How can such an army fight a war? Du Wen exclaimed in disbelief. Other former soldiers he consulted gave similar accounts, a shiny exterior, but rotten at the core. Xi Jinping knows this, which explains his frenzied anti-corruption purges in the military. Yet no sooner is one group of corrupt officers removed than another emerges. The rocket force, the equipment department, the service branches, the theater commands, even the central military commission, general political department, and the military disciplinary commission are riddled with infiltrators and corrupt officials. Senior officers keep falling, leaving key positions empty. The so-called iron army is nothing more than a pile of mud that cannot hold a wall. Du Wen summed up Xi's predicament in 16 Chinese characters. Fond of grandiose achievements, great ambition, but poor ability. A single tree cannot support the forest. Strength is insufficient. In other words, Xi wants to rely on the military to prop up his power, yet has become utterly disillusioned with it. If war truly breaks out one day, where will these gun barrels point? Perhaps even Xi himself does not know the answer. The spectacle of Zhang Shuifeng's pledge to donate 100 million being met with public backlash, combined with explosive revelations of the military's decay, paints a picture of turmoil and uncertainty within China. Whether this is a signal that the situation has already slipped beyond control remains an open question. Missing for over a month, rumors spread that Liu Zhenchao, minister of the CCP's International Liaison Department, has been confirmed as a US spy after foreign media reported that Liu Zhenchao, minister of the CCP's International Liaison Department, ILD, had been taken away for investigation. He has now been missing for more than a month. The news has shocked international opinion, as Liu was once considered one of the top candidates for the position of China's foreign minister. Yet instead of appearing at major diplomatic events as usual, he has been completely absent, further fueling speculation about his political fate. On August 10th, the Wall Street Journal reported that shortly after completing an overseas trip at the end of July and returning to Beijing, Liu Zhenchao was taken away by the authorities for investigation. The reasons remain undisclosed. Numerous rumors have since spread. Some suggest he may be involved in leaking state secrets. Others believe he helped Chinese tycoons transfer assets abroad. While some argue he has fallen victim to internal power struggles. The situation grew even more tense when certain anti-CCP bloggers abroad released shocking claims. Among them, a commentator known as Lao Deng revealed that he had received insider information from within China, alleging that Liu Zhenchao had been confirmed as a CIA spy. Lao Deng commented that if Qin Gang, the man in charge of national diplomacy, was ousted due to a personal scandal, then Liu Zhenchao, who oversaw the party's foreign affairs, being branded a US spy was not merely a personal issue, but rather a sign of ideological instability within the leadership. However, the authenticity of this claim cannot be verified at present. Analysts suggest the case should be observed further while not ruling out the possibility that Liu's downfall may involve allegations of leaking sensitive information. Shen Mingxi, a researcher at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, noted that for diplomats, being accused of collusion with foreign powers is one of the easiest charges to press since their work requires constant contact and sensitive exchanges with other countries. Meanwhile, Taiwanese military scholar Su Tzu-yun argued that the case likely stems from intense factional struggles within the CCP. He stressed that in a closed judicial system, anyone could be easily branded with corruption or espionage charges, depending on which faction seeks to bring them down. More importantly, Liu Zhenchao was a figure personally promoted by Xi Jinping, but has now fallen, placing ultimate responsibility on Xi himself. Some opinions even suggest that anti-Xi forces may be coordinating behind the scenes, turning the incident into a form of high-level black maneuver aimed directly at the top leader. Your feedback matters. Share your views in the comments. 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