China is easing its tight restrictions on visas after it largely suspended issuing them to foreign students and others more than two years ago at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The website of the Chinese Embassy in India said the updated
procedures would take effect from Wednesday, without mentioning specific
requirements for vaccines or proof of a negative virus test.
China still requires those arriving from abroad be quarantined
at a hotel or private home and proof of a negative test is required for entry
to many public and commercial spaces.
The easing of visa restrictions is significant for Indian
students, especially those pursuing degrees in medicine that are far more affordable
in China than in Western nations.
“For students who return to China to resume their studies:
‘Certificate of Returning to Campus’ issued by the university in China” is
required, the Embassy said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington also posted a notice
saying the new rules for students and others would take effect from Wednesday.
Similar notes were posted on the websites of other Chinese
embassies and consulates including in Pakistan, a long-time Chinese ally, the
Philippines, with whom it contests territory in the South China Sea, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Japan and the northern English city of Manchester. Other embassy
websites were temporarily inaccessible, but the Foreign Ministry’s move appears
to indicate steps toward a broader restoration of foreign engagement.
Preference was given to holders of travel permits issued by
the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and students who have already
obtained residency rights in China that allow them to live and work in the
country, similar to a U.S. Green Card.
China largely closed its borders after the virus was first
detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. The government has
pursued a hard-line “zero-COVID” policy that has seen millions placed under
lockdown, but such measures have gradually been lifted amid reduced case
numbers and public outcry against the economic and social costs.
Sporadic outbreaks continue to occur, with 1,641 new cases
of domestic transmission announced Wednesday, including in far-flung regions
such as Tibet and Xinjiang in the northwest. Most of those were asymptomatic
and no new deaths were reported. -AP
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