Students walk past a police outside an all Womens college in Bangalore on March 15, 2022. (MANJUNATH / AFP)
NEW DELHI – China and India have been cooperating to help hundreds of Indian students enrolled in various medical colleges in China return to campus, amid challenges by a lack of direct flight services between the two countries and a lengthy quarantine period.
More than 1,300 Indian students have recently received Chinese visas, according to Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong.
Student visa has been open for applications from Aug 24 since the Chinese Embassy in India updated "Application Procedures and Material Requirements of China Visa," with the resumption of a total of 10 categories of visas, including business, family visit and student visas, according to the Chinese Embassy in India
Liu earlier met with India's Ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat. The two sides had a “frank and friendly exchange” on China-India relations, the global and regional situation and issues of common concern.
ALSO READ: PM: India's defense exports grew 8 times in 5 years
Rawat thanked China over the efforts when the country’s focus was on the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
More students are looking forward to receive the Chinese visa and resume their studies at an early date.
But uncertainty looming large over the return of the students who have already received no objection certificates or NOC from their universities and obtained their Chinese visas. Some students anticipate their visas will also expire if they fail to reach China soon as there is no direct flight service.
“We are left in the lurch and my visa will expire soon,” said Arun Pal, a student of Chinese language enrolled in Minzu University in Beijing. He has decided to fly to Beijing from New Delhi via Hong Kong or Thailand by next week before his visa expires.
Student visa has been open for applications from Aug 24 since the Chinese Embassy in India updated "Application Procedures and Material Requirements of China Visa," with the resumption of a total of 10 categories of visas, including business, family visit and student visas, according to the Chinese Embassy in India.
Yet many students find it hard to afford transfer flights via Hong Kong or through third countries because of high ticket prices on these routes. Nagmani, a medical student enrolled in Jinan University of Guangzhou said around 67 medical students, most of his batchmates, have obtained NOC from the university but some are waiting for the resumption of direct flight service.
If he gets the visa, he has to reach China within a stipulated time as per the visa, otherwise the visas might no longer be valid, said Nagmani.
ALSO READ: China, India call for de-escalation in Ukraine conflict
“The price of the transit flights comes to about $1,500 to #2,100, which is very high, excluding the charges for the quarantine period, whereas the price for a one way direct flight ticket is around $400,” said a fourth year medical student who is pursuing her education from a university in China.
“Most of us have taken loans for our studies. We cannot afford such heavy flight expenses,” a student of Wuhan University rued.
Spokesperson of Indian Federal Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said during a media briefing on 14 October, “It seems that some students have just started going back, some students are still stuck, so we will keep an eye out on it and see how we can help these students so that they can go back.”
“Our focus was on ensuring that students who had been facing problems for so many days could go to China,” the spokesperson said.
According to official estimates, around 23,000 Indian students are currently enrolled in Chinese universities, many of them studying medicine. A large number of Indian students had come back to India in early 2020 when universities in China suspended classes following the CVOID outbreak and since then are stranded in India.
Besides, if students opt for transit flights, they have to follow the quarantine and other COVID test protocols of the country where the flight stops first. Then, after they finally enter China, the students have to undergo these protocols once again as mandated. The cost for the tests and quarantine are also high, said a student studying at Xi’an Jiaotong University.
ALSO READ: India, China look forward to stronger ties
“We are fed up and want the government to regularize flights to China soon,” said a student via social media.
Representatives of Foreign Medical Graduates Parents’ Association have also requested Indian authorities for resuming direct flights or start chartered flights for helping students return to China. But so far they have not received any response.
But, another student said: “I don’t think chartered flights are a solution. The students are being called in batches and have to travel to various cities. I don’t think it is feasible for the Indian government to charter a flight every single time.” Moreover, the flights have to come back empty.
India and China are in talks to resume direct flight services between the two countries, a senior official of the federal ministry of Civil Aviation said, but the official could not confirm when the flight service would resume.
The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.