U.S. cancels visas of more than 1,000 Chinese nationals deemed security risks

FILE PHOTO: Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf testifies during a hearing before Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at Dirksen Senate Office Building August 6, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on "Oversight of DHS Personnel Deployments to Recent Protests." Alex Wong/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States has revoked visas for more than 1,000 Chinese nationals under a presidential measure denying entry to students and researchers deemed security risks, the State Department said on Wednesday, a move China called a violation of human rights.

The acting head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, said earlier that Washington was blocking visas "for certain Chinese graduate students and researchers with ties to China's military fusion strategy to prevent them from stealing and otherwise appropriating sensitive research."