Malaysia is among the top priority nations in China’s pilot project for the return of international students to China, Malaysia’s foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah has confirmed following a meeting with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi earlier this month.
While no specific date has yet been set, the potentially positive news for Malaysian students is dampened by statements made by other Chinese officials abroad, who have failed to see students return to the nation thus far.
Key Takeaways:
- China’s pilot program for international students returning to the country has brought potentially good news to those who have yet to return.
- Malaysia is one of the top priority countries in China’s pilot program, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.
- A similar story from July stated that when Bangladeshi students returned to China, they would be given priority.
In July, a similar story noted that Bangladeshi students would be given precedence upon returning to China as students studying in Chinese colleges will also be given priority for vaccinations.
It can be recalled that China’s borders remain closely regulated under the country’s tough “COVID zero” policy, unlike some other Asian countries that are cautiously reopening internal borders.
Travelers with valid Chinese resident permits for work, personal reasons, or family reunions may be allowed to enter China without applying for new visas, but there are several testing requirements in place, and hotel quarantine is required.
With this, students have used hashtags on Twitter like #TakeStudentsBacktoChina and #TakeUsBacktoChina to air their grievances online, and have even staged rallies in an attempt to re-enter the country.
After both governments agreed to resume awarding visas in July of last year, only students from South Korea have been granted visas into China, while some Sino-foreign joint venture universities, including New York University Shanghai, have managed to sidestep the restrictions.
In a presscon in November, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the government “will continue to take prevention and control measures through scientific analysis in light of the evolving situation.”
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