Indian students unable to return to China even as Covid-19 border curbs ease

After waiting for more than two years to return to Shandong University in Jinan, China, to complete her medical degree, fourth-year Indian student Rachita Kurmi, 21, received good news last Saturday.

Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong told the press that the Chinese government was "working intensively for the return of foreign students to China" and that some had "already returned".

China shut its borders to foreign visitors in 2019 as part of its Covid-19 restrictions and foreign students who had left the country have had a long wait to re-enter.

Since April, the country has gradually granted entry to students from Russia, Sri Lanka, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Ghana and Zimbabwe, among other countries.

Last week, one of 100 Pakistani students who got permits to return documented her journey back to her China university on YouTube.

But more than 23,000 Indian students - the biggest foreign contingent - await their turn.

"The relevant departments in China and India have been in contact and made progress on this. The responsible departments in both countries will stay in close communication and work for the early return of the first batch of Indian students," said Mr Sun.

The ambassador's statement brings hope but little clarity.

Ms Kurmi, who has been doing online classes from Mumbai, said: "My university notified me this week that online classes for the next semester will start soon. Does this mean I don't get to return for yet another semester?"

Some students from the Zhengzhou, Hunan Normal and Wuhan universities have received certificates from their universities stating that the authorities did not object to their return as long as they followed pandemic protocols. Chinese visa application centres in India require such No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to process a student's visa.

A 23-year-old Zhengzhou University medical student based in Delhi said he has an NOC but the centre there is not accepting applications for student visas yet.

The visa centre in Mumbai, while accepting applications, allows appointments only on Fridays - which Ms Kurmi found are booked up till November.

Thousands of Indian students are still awaiting NOCs, even as they attend online classes and sit exams, paying the full annual tuition fees of 300,000 to 500,000 rupees (S$5,200 to S$8,700).

Dozens of students told The Straits Times that they were perplexed that only some universities sent NOCs and concerned about how they will go back as international flights to China are still infrequent and expensive.

Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar has admitted in public forums that India-China relations are in "a very difficult phase".

As the two countries tussle over the border, the Indian government has banned dozens of Chinese apps and charged Chinese smartphone giants with tax evasion, and some leaders have encouraged boycotts of China-made goods.

In March, Mr Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to facilitate the return of Indian students. "We hope China will take a non-discriminatory approach since it involves the future of many young people," he said then.

Said Ms Kurmi: "Indians are a majority in any foreign class in China. Till now, we thought our number is our strength and our return will be facilitated. But maybe our numbers are actually a liability."