U.S. institutes new travel visa rules targeting Chinese Communist Party members

The Trump administration has instituted a policy to cap at one month the maximum duration of travel visas for Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members and their immediate relatives.

The move will require the individual to utilize their visa to come to America within a month of issuance, according to the New York Times, which noted that people could still be allowed to stay in the country for multiple months.

"Based on standard procedure, U.S. border officials would determine at the point of entry how long the visitor can stay," the outlet reported. "The officials could still permit a multi-month visit."

Having a visa does not ensure admission into America, but allows consideration for admittance by American border officials, the outlet said.

Formerly, Chinese Communist Party members, as other citizens of China, were able to secure visitor visas for America that were valid for as long as 10 years. The news outlet, citing two unnamed individuals, also said that travel visas for those in the CCP will be limited to one entry instead of multiple entries that were previously possible.

"The new measures do not affect party members’ eligibility for other kinds of visas, such as immigration or employment," the Times said. "The State Department spokesman added that no current visas would be revoked as a result of the policy changes."

The New York Times cited Bloomberg News when noting that a spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, said the following on Thursday: “We hope people in the United States will adopt a common rational view toward China and give up their hatred and abnormal mind-set toward the Communist Party.” 

Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe in a Dec. 3rd piece in the Wall Street Journal identified China as the top threat currently facing the U.S.