Beijing: China on Tuesday said it has started the process for the return of Indian students stuck home due to the COVID-19 visa restrictions here and the first batch may arrive soon, raising hopes for thousands of students waiting to re-join their colleges in the country.
“We are working intensively for the return of foreign students to China and the process for Indian students' return has begun," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a media briefing when asked about the social media posts by some Chinese diplomats about rolling out a new visa policy for all foreign students soon.
We believe we will see the return of the first batch of Indian students very soon and we will continue to pursue it with relevant work while ensuring the safety against COVID, Wang said.
China is currently processing the list of Indian students waiting to return to the country to re-join their colleges, he added.
Over 23,000 Indian students, mostly studying medicine, are reportedly stuck back home due to COVID visa restrictions.
India has submitted a list of several hundred students after China sought the names of those wanting to return immediately to pursue their studies.
Some students from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Russia and several other countries arrived on chartered flights in recent weeks.
China is also permitting flights from different countries but has yet to work out the opening of flights from India. The flights between India and China, which were halted at the height of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago, remain suspended.
Officials say the two countries are in talks to restore limited flights.