Have Chinese borders reopened for all international students?
Everything went so fast in the last few months. On July 21, Premier Li Keqiang gave new hope to thousands of international students stranded outside the borders of China. The country is set to reopen its borders, but no timeline was provided. This clearly shows that China's zero-Covid policy isn't over yet.
In theory, Chinese borders are still hermetically closed. In practice, small groups of international foreigners have slowly been allowed in the country. In a press conference on March 22, Wang Wenbin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, reviewed the Chinese policy regarding the return of international students. At that time, students from Thailand, Pakistan and the Solomon Islands were back in China, but not those from India or other countries. Wang Wenbing explained: “On the basis of ensuring sound epidemic prevention and control, the government is coordinating the arrangement 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.”
International students reentering China in small numbers?
A new press conference was held a few days after the Premier's announcement. Faced with the media's questions about a clear timeline, Wang Wenbin gives a long answer about the importance of international cooperation, openness, and exchange. But he said nothing about a timeline, not even when he refocused his speech on the students: “We invite international students, including those from India, to return to China to resume their studies, and we will make the necessary arrangements.” Since then, India has resumed issuing X Visas (long-term study visas) for its citizens who want to study in China.
On August 24, the Premier finally confirmed that international students will be able to return to China. But the announcement concerned only students coming for long-term stays. Before Covid, China attracted more and more international students with each passing year. In 2019, there were 500,000 of them, making China the 5th country worldwide to welcome exchange students (ranking after the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada). Although Chinese universities are aware that it will take time to recover such high international enrolment, they know that they remain valued by international students.
Stranded international students
For the time being, international students prefer seeing the glass as half-full. On August 24, the announcement of the resumption of student visa applications made a buzz on social media. For thousands of students, China's zero-Covid policy translated into the abrupt discontinuation of their studies. A former Chadian student told RFI (Radio France Internationale) in an interview: “It's good news for those who've been stuck abroad for two and a half years.” Chinese universities set up online classes to remain in touch with international students. But these online classes proved to be inadequate and unsuited for many students. “We need practical classes when we're studying engineering or medicine. Online classes aren't enough. We lack the proper training, we're wasting our time studying this way,” explains the former Chadian student.
Others talk about technical problems with online classes. For instance, the time difference with China forced some students to live at night without being able to catch up on sleep during the day (if they had a part-time day job). That limbo severely impacted their quality of life. Communication with Chinese universities was sometimes unclear and inconsistent. Stress, anxiety, and the feeling of being abandoned grew. Millions of foreigners not allowed to enter China felt that these two years have been an injustice against them. This feeling is only getting worse as student visas are only being issued to certain nationalities.
Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel?
Many students have been contacted by their universities and asked whether they would like to resume their studies. “I have been waiting for only this. All my classmates think the same. For now, only some nationalities have been selected, but the students should be able to travel freely.” Currently, only the UK, Japan, Malaysia, France, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and India can issue the famous X Visas for long-term studies in China. Other foreign nationals have to wait for more.
