update:2021-09-28
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on September 28, 2021
Prasar Bharati: Yesterday, Indian medical students gathered at the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi. These students are studying in Chinese universities and they are waiting for the return to China. Is there any consideration for the request?
Hua Chunying: I answered your question in details yesterday.
Given the ongoing spread of the coronavirus across the globe, the Chinese government has to adopt a series of management measures, which is timely adjusted in accordance with the evolving situation, in order to ensure the safe, healthy and orderly flow of Chinese and foreign travelers. I want to stress that China's entry prevention and control measures are applied to all inbound travelers, including its own citizens.
update:2021-09-27
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on September 27, 2021
Prasar Bharati: Last week, India's Ambassador to China Vikram Misri has said that India has continued to issue visas to Chinese businessmen to visit India despite current differences in the bilateral relations, but he expressed his disappointment over China's continued visa ban on Indian students, family members, businessmen, marine crew etc. and has termed it as unscientific approach. Do you have any comment or response to this, particularly to China's unscientific approach as mentioned?
Hua Chunying: Since the start of COVID-19, China has been following science-based prevention and control measures in accordance with law, and has done our utmost to protect people's health and safety, and safeguard their life and production. Given the ongoing spread of the coronavirus across the globe, the Chinese government has to adopt a series of management measures, which is timely adjusted in accordance with the evolving situation, in order to ensure the safe, healthy and orderly flow of Chinese and foreign travelers. China's prevention and control measures are scientific, professional and appropriate. I want to stress that China applies quarantine measures equally to all inbound travelers, including its own citizens.
With effective prevention and control measures in place, China is willing to work with all countries, India included, to make proper arrangement for the exchanges of personnel in the context of COVID-19.
Update: 2021-09-17
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on September 17, 2021
Prasar Bharati: Earlier this week you said that if India has a need to discuss the issue of return of Indians to China, they may raise this with the Chinese side. I have learned and I understand that Indian embassy and consulates have repeatedly taken up this matter of return of Indians with Chinese authorities. But China has not entertained this request giving COVID-19 as a reason. So can you confirm that the Indian side is in touch with the Chinese side regarding this issue?
Zhao Lijian: Given the ongoing complex and grave situation of the pandemic, China applies quarantine measures equally to all inbound travelers, including its own citizens, based on the evolving situation, realities on the ground and science-based assessment. The travel of India's necessary personnel to China has always been guaranteed. We hope that the Indian side will also treat Chinese nationals going to India in an indiscriminate manner, create a necessary and healthy environment for them to work and live in India, and jointly do a good job in personnel exchanges between the two sides.
Follow-up: So you confirm that the Indian side is in touch with the Chinese side regarding this issue?
Zhao Lijian: We are maintaining communication through unimpeded diplomatic channels in both Beijing and New Delhi.
Update:2021-09-14
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on September 14, 2021
Prasar Bharati: Recently China has allowed chambers of commerce from Germany, France and Italy to bring back their employees and family members to China. So, my question is, what's the criteria China is adopting to give visas to people from certain countries while blocking visas to 11 countries including India for the past 10 months? When will China issue visas to people from India?
Zhao Lijian: The global COVID-19 situation remains grave and complicated. Referencing the practices of other countries, China adjusts its management measures on in-bound travelers accordingly as the epidemic situation evolves. China stands ready to maintain close communication with all parties and properly manage the work related to international travel on the premise of ensuring effective epidemic control.
Follow-up: What do you mean by the steps by relevant countries? COVID cases are in many countries, not just the 11 countries or India, for that matter. So do you think there is no way people can be allowed to enter China following proper COVID protocols?
Zhao Lijian: China and relevant countries agreed to launch fast track arrangement for two-way travels related to resumption of work and production. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement made between China and relevant countries in light of the COVID-19 situation and need for resumption of work and production.
Follow-up: Do you think such arrangement can be done between China and India also?
Zhao Lijian: I believe we should leave that to the diplomats of our two countries to discuss. India can also talk to China if it has such needs.
Update: 2021-07-22
At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 22, the reporter of the Indian Broadcasting Corporation asked spokesman Zhao Lijian four times in succession. He first asked: South Korean and American students are returning to China one after another. What epidemic prevention measures should they abide by when entering China? Are the same epidemic prevention measures also applicable to Indian students waiting to go to China? Zhao Lijian responded that what I can tell you is that the Chinese government has always attached great importance to the issue of foreign students coming to China and will make an overall study on the return of foreign students to China on the premise of ensuring epidemic prevention safety.
In addition, the reporter also asked Zhao Lijian to confirm whether the Chinese embassies in South Korea and the United States have issued visas to students from the United States and South Korea? Is the report of tens of thousands of American and Korean students returning to China to resume classes true? For these issues, Zhao Lijian said bluntly: considering the development of the current world epidemic situation, China is coordinating epidemic prevention and control, and is also studying the return of foreign students to China.
Update: 2021-07-09
On July 9, a foreign media reporter asked when China would allow foreign students to return to China for study. Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that the Chinese government has always attached great importance to the issue of foreign students coming to China and will comprehensively consider the resumption of classes for foreign students on the premise of ensuring epidemic prevention safety. China will continue to coordinate and determine various prevention and control measures on the basis of scientific analysis according to the development of the epidemic situation“ We are willing to actively build a healthy, safe and orderly order of personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries on the premise of ensuring the safety of epidemic prevention. "
Update: 2021-03-09
According to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today that China will coordinate research on the resumption of foreign students in China while ensuring the safety of epidemic prevention.
At today's regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an Indian reporter asked the spokesperson: China will provide visas and other cross-border travel conveniences, and the Chinese version of the international travel health certificate should not be applicable to foreigners at present. Under this circumstance, can we still expect foreign students to return to China soon to continue their studies?
In response, Zhao Lijian said that the Chinese side issued the Chinese version of the International Travel Health Certificate, which is a document issued to the Chinese side for nucleic acid testing or Chinese vaccination. Mutual recognition refers to mutual confirmation of the effectiveness of testing or vaccination, and on this basis, both parties provide convenience to relevant personnel.
Zhao Lijian introduced at a regular press conference yesterday (March 8) that China has launched a Chinese version of the International Travel Health Certificate, which is used to display health information such as nucleic acid, serum IgG antibody test results and vaccination status of Chinese outbound personnel. There are two forms of health certificate, electronic version and paper version. It contains an encrypted QR code, which can be verified and read with the public key provided by the Chinese party.
Regarding the issue of foreign students returning to China to continue their studies, Zhao Lijian once again stated today that the Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of international students in China, and requires relevant universities to maintain close contact with overseas students, carefully arrange online teaching, and properly handle students’ problems. Reasonable concerns and demands. On the premise of ensuring the safety of epidemic prevention, China will coordinate the study of the resumption of foreign students in China, and will maintain communication with all parties on this.
