Relief for Indian medical college students as China says it is prepared to permit a few of them to return

By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In a serious aid for Indian medical college students eager to return to China to proceed their research, Beijing on Friday introduced plans to allow the return of “some” Indian college students who have been stranded in India for over two years due to visa and flight restrictions imposed attributable to Covid-19 pandemic.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian instructed a media briefing in Beijing that “China attaches high importance to Indian students’ concerns about returning to China for studies.”

“We have shared with the Indian sides the procedures and experience of other countries’ students returning to China. The work for Indian students’ return has already started. All that remains to be done is for the Indian side to provide the list of students who need to come back to China,” he stated.

“We understand that many Indian students are studying in China. India may need some time to collect the names,” Zhao stated.

Over 22,000 Indian college students, principally learning medication in Chinese schools, have been caught in India for 2 years after the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in China in December 2019.

These college students could not return to Beijing as a result of journey restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities because it cancelled visas and flights from India in its bid to arrest the unfold of the pandemic.

The medical college students have been thus pressured to take on-line courses. But they have been determined to return as a result of they needed to take sensible classes, a should for getting a medical diploma. Worried about their careers, the scholars ran a social media marketing campaign, “Take us back to China.”

“China is ready to receive some Indian students under the current complicated severe epidemic situation. In handling international students returning to China for studies, we need to consider the international epidemic situation, the evolving circumstances, and their majors. This principle applies equally to all foreign students,” Zhao added.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar held a gathering with the State Councillor and Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, on March 25 and mentioned the “future of young people.”

China has been allowing college students from some pleasant nations like Pakistan, Thailand, Solomon Islands, and lately Sri Lanka to return however remained silent about permitting Indian college students and lots of of members of the family of Indians working in China to journey again.

In a press release, the Indian embassy in Beijing stated, “The Chinese side has expressed its willingness to consider facilitating the return of Indian students to China on a need-assessed basis. To facilitate this (return), the Indian Embassy intends to prepare a list of such students which will be shared with the Chinese side for their consideration. Therefore, Indian students are requested to provide the necessary information by filling up the Google Form at this link (https://forms.gle/MJmgByc7BrJj9MPv7), latest by May 8.”

Once the collated info is shared with the Chinese, they’d seek the advice of related Chinese departments to confirm the listing and point out whether or not the recognized college students can journey to China to finish the course, the assertion stated. This coordination course of can be carried out in a time-bound method, the embassy added.