China ready to welcome Sri Lankan students back to colleges, yet to make a decision about India

China has apprised Sri Lanka that it will allow few of its students, who have been stranded at home for more than two years, to return for their studies. This comes after Beijing had imposed a strict COVID visa ban on students from abroad. However, China is yet to announce their decision on allowing over 23,000 Indian students to re-enter the education frame.

The Sri Lankan Embassy announced on Thursday, April 21, that it had been informed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry that the Chinese Embassy in Colombo had finalised two groups of students to return to China. The Sri Lankan Embassy said, “Additional students are being processed to return to China." An update on the number of students was however not given.

India has taken up the issue of allowing its students back in China with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar approaching his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, during the latter's recent visit to New Delhi in March. Yi had reassured him that the return of Indian students was being managed and that their resumption of studies would not be a political issue. He said that "on the basis of ensuring sound epidemic prevention and control, it is coordinating arrangements for a small number of foreign students with actual needs to return to China, in light of the changing international epidemic situation and the characteristics of the students' majors.”

There are over 23,000 Indian students studying under Chinese institutions, mostly pursuing Medicine. Hence, access to clinical facilities and laboratories has been a key issue over the past two years.