China’s foreign students beg Beijing to allow them to return to the country to resume university study
- For the last 20 months China has refused to allow foreign students to return to resume university study
- Only students from South Korea have been granted visas after the two countries made a reciprocal deal in July last year
China still does not grant visas to international students except those from South Korea after the two countries signed an agreement reinstating visas in July last year.
“We are really stressed. We don’t know when they will call us back,” said a third-year Indian student at Ningbo University, who asked to be identified by his surname Ephrem for fear of offending Chinese authorities.
“Please help us. We will accept all the Covid-19 protocols of the Chinese government,” he said. “I am not saying anything against the Chinese government. It’s a humble request to accept us.”
Ephrem, who is studying for a Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery degree, said he has been living in India ever since he left China in January 2020 for winter holiday. He has called both the university and the Chinese embassy in New Delhi repeatedly, but still has no indication of when he will be allowed to return to China.
