The point is not what the US believes citizenship to be. It is what rights do people have and what is the response of a civilized government to those rights?

A civilized government will protect the rights of its citizens. An uncivilized one believes that the citizens somehow belong to it and must do its bidding and be dependent upon it.

The CCP does not have the best interests of these people in mind - it only has its own interests in mind and is using these people as pawns.