The Chinese government said Friday that the Trump administration’s move to ban international students from Harvard would harm America’s international standing, and one university in Hong Kong looked to capitalize on the uncertainty by promising to take them in. Chinese students make up a large part of Harvard University’s international student population. The university enrolled 6,703 international students across all of its schools in 2024, according to the school’s data, or about a quarter of the overall student body, with 1,203 of those coming from China.

The Trump administration’s move, announced Thursday, was a hot topic on Chinese social media. State broadcaster CCTV questioned whether the U.S. would remain a top destination for foreign students, noting that Harvard was already suing the U.S. government in court.

“But with the long litigation period, thousands of international students may have trouble waiting,” the CCTV commentary said. It went on to say that it becomes necessary for international students to consider other options “when policy uncertainty becomes the norm.”

Educational cooperation with the U.S. is mutually beneficial and China opposes its politicization, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing in Beijing.

“The relevant actions by the U.S. side will only damage its own image and international credibility,” she said.

She added that China would firmly protect the rights and interests of Chinese students and scholars abroad but she didn’t offer any details on how it would do so in this situation.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem accused Harvard this week of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.”

She said the administration’s action against the renowned university would “serve as a warning” to other colleges.

Last month, CBS Boston reported that Noem had demanded detailed records on the purported “illegal and violent activities” of Harvard’s foreign student visa holders.

“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments,” Noem said in a statement. “Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Harvard has become “a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.”

“They have repeatedly failed to take action to address the widespread problems negatively impacting American students and now they must face the consequences of their actions,” Jackson said in the statement.

Harvard has called the administration’s move unlawful, and in a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Boston, the university said the government’s action violated the First Amendment and would have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”

“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” Harvard said in its suit. The school said it planned to file for a temporary restraining order to block the Department of Homeland Security from carrying out the move.

“We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University — and this nation — immeasurably,” a spokesperson for the university said in a statement released on Thursday. “We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community.”

CBS Boston reported that panic was quickly setting in for some of Harvard’s incoming foreign students, who have been left scrambling to find other university options and make new plans ahead of the autumn term. Already, at least one Chinese university is publicly looking to help meet their needs.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology extended an open invitation to international students already at Harvard and those who have been admitted. The institution posted a news release saying it would provide unconditional offers, streamlined admission procedures and academic support to facilitate a seamless transition.

Some people in China joked online about having the university open a branch in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin, whose name shares the same character as Harvard’s name in Chinese.

The issue of Chinese students studying overseas has long been a point of tension in the relationship with the United States. During Mr. Trump’s first term, China’s Ministry of Education warned students about rising rejections rates and shorter terms for visas in the U.S.

Last year, the Chinese foreign ministry protested that a number of Chinese students had been interrogated and sent home upon arrival at U.S. airports.

China’s state media outlets have long played up gun violence in the U.S. and portrayed America as a dangerous place. Some Chinese students are opting to study in the U.K. or other countries rather than the U.S.