January 9, 2021.
TED NewsDesk, New Delhi: The Chinese government has asked the numerous Indian students studying in Chinese universities to continue with their online classes as it cancels all the chartered flights from India to China. The Indian Embassy said that the Chinese government has taken this measure due to the reappearance of COVID-19 cases in the countries.
Although there has been much dialogue between the Indian Embassy and the Chinese authorities there has been “no positive evolution of the situation”, informed the Indian Embassy communique on Friday. It further said, “In fact, with reports of a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in China, authorities have further reinforced epidemic controls and restrictions on travel and entry into China. The suspension of visas of Indian nationals issued before November 2, 2020, is an instance of these enhanced controls.”
Indian students enrolled in Chinese universities, who had come back home during the pandemic, are stuck at home with online classes, as China again witnesses new COVID-19 cases. Most of the students, who are over 23,000, are studying in the medical field.
The communique added, “While the Embassy continues to follow this issue keenly, it has been repeatedly advised by Chinese authorities that the restrictions in place are not likely to be relaxed in the coming months and that students studying in China should be advised accordingly concerning their studies for the next semester, which is likely to continue only through online means.”
It asked the students to exercise some patience as they are also waiting for the situation to get better. It also said that the authorities understand the difficulty of a medical student to pursue their course via online mode, where most of the course is practice-based.
The statement advised the students to “continue to monitor the websites of Indian Embassy/Consulate(s) in China and also our social media channels to remain updated about the evolving situation concerning the prospects of their return to China.” Meanwhile, the statement has asked the students to keep a close eye on the university website for any new on the topic. Apart from the university websites, the students are also asked by the authorities to keep an eye on the Chinese consulate website, in case any updates surface there.
Source: NDTV