BEIJING - The discriminatory practice by the United States to revoke the visas for Chinese students exposes its lies of so-called "freedom and openness," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said here on Thursday.

Mao made the remarks at a daily press briefing when answering a related query.

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The US side unreasonably revoking the visas for Chinese students, under the pretext of ideology and national security, severely infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and disrupts normal people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, Mao said.

"China firmly opposes this and has lodged representations with the US side," Mao said.

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This politically motivated and discriminatory practice by the United States exposes its lies of self-proclaimed freedom and openness, and will only further damage the country's international image and credibility, Mao noted.