Pakistan, May 29 -- Thousands of Chinese students are facing uncertainty after the United States announced a major crackdown on student visas, sparking widespread anxiety across China. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered a pause in new visa appointments and signaled aggressive revocation of existing student visas. The sudden move left many students rushing to secure last-minute interviews or reconsidering their plans to study in America.

As of Thursday, the news had caused confusion on RedNote, China's Instagram-like social platform, where students shared their fears and frustrations. Many reported system crashes while trying to book remaining appointments. Wu, a 29-year-old biology student from Shanghai, stayed up until 3 a.m. r...