The Latest: China criticizes US ban on Harvard’s international students

The Chinese government said Friday that the Trump administration’s move to ban international students from Harvard would harm America’s international standing, as anxious students and parents overseas fretted over what would come next.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump fired off a post on his social media network in which he said the European Union has been “very difficult to deal with” in trade talks and that he wants to impose 50% tariffs on the EU in June.

Here’s the latest:

Trump said he wants to impose 50% tariffs on EU in June because of stalled trade talks

Trump fired off another post on his social media network on Friday in which he said the European Union has been “very difficult to deal with” in trade talks.

“Our discussions with them are going nowhere!” the president said and added that he is “recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025.”

Trump’s Harvard visa threat could wipe out several of the school’s sports teams

Some of Harvard’s sports teams would be virtually wiped out by a Trump administration decision announced on Thursday that would make the Ivy League school with the nation’s largest athletic program ineligible for international student visas.

Harvard’s 42 varsity sports teams are the most in the nation, and Sportico reported last month that 21% of the players on the school’s rosters for the 2024-25 seasons — or 196 out of 919 athletes — had international hometowns. The site noted that some could be U.S. citizens or green card holders who wouldn’t need one of the international visas at issue in an escalating fight premised by the administration’s assertions that the school failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism.

▶ Read more about how the ban could impact Harvard’s sports teams

Trump threatens 25% import tax on Apple unless iPhones are made in the US

Trump on Friday threatened to put a 25% tariff on Apple products unless iPhones are manufactured in the United States.

The threat delivered over social media could dramatically increase the price of iPhones, potentially hurting sales and the profits of one of America’s leading technology companies. The company now joins Amazon, Walmart and other major companies as being in the White House’s crosshairs as they try to respond to the uncertainty and inflationary pressures unleashed by the import taxes being imposed by Trump.

Apple, led by CEO Tim Cook, in response to Trump’s tariffs on China was looking to shift iPhone manufacturing to India as it adjusts supply chains. That plan has become a festering source of frustration for the U.S. president, who also brought it up last week during his Middle East trip.

▶ Read more about possible tariffs on Apple

China criticizes US ban on Harvard’s international students

The Chinese government said Friday that the Trump administration’s move to ban international students from Harvard would harm America’s international standing, as anxious students and parents overseas fretted over what would come next.

Among the two largest parts of the international student community in Harvard are Chinese and Indian students. The university enrolled 6,703 international students across all of its schools in 2024, according to the school’s data, with 1,203 of those from China and 788 from India.

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 Harvard was already suing the U.S. government in court.

▶ Read more about China’s response to the ban