Coronavirus: hope for stranded Southeast Asian students after being shut out of China for nearly 2 years

Chinese ambassador to Asean says those from the 10-nation bloc will be prioritised and able to return in stages to continue their studies

Country’s borders have been closed to most foreign nationals since March 2020, leaving many students unable to attend classes in person

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Many international students have been unable to return to China since the pandemic erupted, relying on live streams and pre-recorded lectures to learn. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Published: 11:30am, 26 Nov 2021

Fourth-year medical student Belia Khoo might have to put her studies on hold if she cannot get back to China by May.

She went home to Malaysia in January 2020 for the Lunar New Year for what was supposed to be a month-long break. But like many international students, Khoo has been shut out of China since the coronavirus pandemic erupted, relying on live streams and pre-recorded lectures to learn.

The Shanghai Jiao Tong University student is due to begin an eight-month hospital attachment in May. If she cannot return, she will only be able to “interact” with patients through a live stream, potentially meaning her degree will not be recognised because of the lack of clinical training.

China’s borders have been closed to most foreign nationals since March 2020, when the coronavirus was raging across the globe. While the pandemic is largely under control in China, its insistence on a zero-Covid strategy has denied many of the half a million international students from in-class tuition for nearly two years.

But there are positive signs for Khoo and other stranded students from Southeast Asian countries that they might be able to return soon.

Deng Xijun, Chinese ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, on Wednesday said Beijing would prioritise students from the 10 Asean members to return to China in stages and continue their studies. He made the remarks after bilateral ties were upgraded to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, which involves long-term cooperation in multiple areas, from politics to culture.

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