BEIJING: More than 1,300 Indian students have got visas to return to China and resume their studies, after being barred from doing so for more than two years due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The information was made public as the Chinese foreign ministry briefed the Indian ambassador in Beijing about recent developments in inter-country contacts after China halted direct flights between the two countries when the pandemic broke out in early 2020.
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Director General of Asia Affairs for the Ministry of External Affairs Liu Jinsong informed Indian Ambassador Pradeep Rawat during their meeting on Tuesday that around 300 Indian business travelers had recently flown to Yiwu, the Chinese manufacturing hub, on two charter flights.
According to a readout by the Chinese ministry, the two also spoke on other matters relating to their bilateral relations as well as local, regional and global issues.
After making a significant change in June to reduce the quarantine period for incoming travelers from the previous 14+7 system to seven days in hotel isolation and three days for home observation, China in August revised the Covid-19 rules. Relaxed, allowing international students. Long-term study allows returning.
Building on earlier efforts to reopen the country, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism also issued draft rules last month to ease entry restrictions for foreigners.
According to the Indian Express Daily, over 23,000 Indian students studying in Chinese universities are stuck at home due to the COVID-19 visa restrictions in China.
It is unknown when direct flights to the Chinese mainland will resume, but some Indian students have already traveled from Hong Kong on their way home.
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Hong Kong recently reduced its inbound travel restrictions to a "0+3" system, which only requires self-monitoring for three days and no mandatory quarantine. However, the high ticket prices discourage many people from participating.
Some Indian students have already passed through Hong Kong on their way home, but it is unknown when direct flights to the Chinese mainland will resume.
Inbound travel restrictions in Hong Kong have recently been eased into a "0+3" system, which only calls for self-monitoring for three days and does not mandate quarantine. But the expensive entrance fee still deters many people from visiting.
China has long been urged by the Indian side to allow the return of the students. When Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Indonesia in July, these topics and the resumption of direct flights were discussed. When Wang visited New Delhi in March, Jaishankar urged China to expedite the process of returning students.