The Senate yesterday upheld President Bush's veto of a bill that would prevent Chinese students from deportation, but the vote has become more an issue of foreign policy than student safety as Bush confronts a largely Democratic Congress.

"The veto is a Bush victory of sort but the victory is hollow," said Parris Chang, University professor of political science. "They are telling him, 'We don't like the way you are dealing with China, you have not observed the human rights you say is your policy, you are being cowtowed by the Chinese government, you have violated your promise to the American people about your policy.' "

The 1989 Emergency Chinese Visa Adjustment Act aimed to relieve students of a mandatory two-year return to China after their visas expire. Senators voted 62 to 37 to override the veto, only four votes short of the two- thirds necessary to pass. The House overwhelmingly voted against Bush's veto yesterday.

"When you see that (62) senators and more than 400 representatives vote against the president, it has a special meaning. The Congress does not have confidence in the president's China policy," Chang said.

About 304 Chinese students, predominantly graduate students, are enrolled at the University. And between 80 to 100 visiting scholars are Chinese, said Jim Lynch, associate director of the University's Office of International Students.

While the bill was introduced to keep students from possible persecution in China following the June student-led protests for democracy in Beijing, Bush sent out an administrative order to keep the students here after the bill's introduction.

"Everything that bill would do has been in effect since Dec. 1," Lynch said. "The issue is not what is going to happen to the students. The issue is what the relations are with China."

Bush's order actually affects more students than the bill because its coverage includes any student who has been in the country since Dec. 1, Lynch said. The bill only applies to students who have come to the United States since June.

The administrative order also allows the spouses of visiting students to obtain work permits, Lynch said.

Today, before the vote, Bush said that protection would remain.

"No student, as long as I'm president, will be sent back," he said.

The president's order may have persuaded some senators to vote with Bush on this issue, Chang said.

About ten days ago, the Chinese government revoked the martial law it established in June, Chang said, but Chinese people are still under tight government control.

"(Bush) hasn't put enough pressure on the Chinese to stop the persecution, " Chang said.

Bush said his reason for vetoing the bill was diplomatic relations, saying he did not want to alienate the Chinese government.

In June, Bush called for sanctions against China's treatment of the student protesters, but in July and December sent National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft and Secretary of State James A. Baker to China in a move of "secret diplomacy," Chang said.

Lynch said some Chinese students have told him they support the bill because they fear Bush could revoke his order, Lynch said, adding it is probably unlikely.

"I understand the fear the Chinese students have but I just can't see an American president doing that -- the public would be in an uproar . . . it would put the entire situation into chaos," Lynch said.

Associated Press reports contributed to this story.