U.S. embassy in the doghouse in China after student visa post backfires

A general view shows the buildings of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China, on April 21, 2021. [Reuters]

The resumption of student visa applications at U.S. missions in China got off to an acrimonious start this week when netizens took exception to an American embassy social media post they interpreted as likening Chinese students to dogs.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, whose time in office was marked by tense relations in Beijing, had in January last year barred nearly all non-U.S. citizens who were in China from entering the United States after the coronavirus outbreak.