President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday said the United States will start "aggressively" revoking visas of Chinese students, and enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the country, including Hong Kong.

The announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio came a day after China criticised his decision to suspend visa appointments for students worldwide at least temporarily.

The United States will "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields," Rubio said in a statement.

"We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong," he said.

If applied to a broad segment of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese university students in the United States, the move could disrupt a major source of income for American schools and a crucial pipeline of talent for US technology companies.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning had on Wednesday said Beijing urged Washington to "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China."

A cable signed by Rubio on Tuesday ordered US embassies and consulates not to allow "any additional student or exchange visa... appointment capacity until further guidance is issued" on ramping up screening of applicants' social media accounts.

China has the second highest number of international students pursing higher education in the United States in 2023/2024 with 277,398 students, according to the Institute of International Education.

The Trump administration has already sought to end permission for all international students at Harvard University, which has rebuffed pressure from the president related to student protests. (Agencies)