From this Wednesday, August 24, foreign nationals holding a valid residence permit for studying will be able to return to China. A new sign of the gradual reopening of the country after more than two years of isolation linked to the pandemic. An announcement that does not yet concern all countries, but which is eagerly awaited, especially in Africa.
With our correspondent in Beijing, Stephane Lagarde
WeChat, Whatsapp and other apps buzzed upon hearing the news. China remains closed to foreign tourists, but students will be able to return. News that this Chadian ex-student from Wuhan had been waiting for more than a year and a half.
” This is very good news for those who have been stuck for two and a half years, especially for those who follow technical courses. You need to practice when you’re an engineer, you need to practice when you’re a doctor. And online courses are not enough. We lack construction, we lose time in our studies. Me, personally, I was contacted by my Chinese university to have my opinion. They asked me if I wanted to come back or not. I told them that I was just waiting for that, to go back and finish my studies. All my comrades think the same, they are all happy. »
For this former Chadian student, this decision is good news, now it must apply to all countries: “ They have selected certain countries, but all students must be able to move freely. »
The visa procedure X
For now, only Chinese embassies in Britain, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, the Philippines and Malaysia have reopened the procedure for X visas, long-term student visas in China.
For this Congolese, a former student in Beijing, the health restrictions at the Chinese borders will have deterred some of the candidates to return: “ We called with all my friends and everyone was very excited. This reopening of the Chinese borders is excellent news, at the same time the two years that we have just experienced and the closure due to the zero covid policy have made China lose part of its attractiveness. Many like me have left to continue their studies elsewhere and they will not return to China. »
The attractiveness of Chinese universities and scholarships is one of the levers of Chinese soft power in developing countries. But once the visa is in your pocket, you still have to be able to afford a plane ticket and the costs of quarantine on arrival: “ The problem is that plane tickets remain very expensive and then having to confine themselves when arriving on Chinese soil for ten days on their own, it is complicated for many students who have not worked during the two years of closure of China and who have not made any savings, reminds this former Chadian student. So, it’s a good decision again, but it’s not sure that everyone can come back or even start studying in China. »
Before the pandemic, more than 490,000 foreign students were enrolled in a school curriculum in China, nearly a third of them from Southeast Asia. A reopening which comes after a series of measures to loosen the health filter which since the spring of 2020 had made China an island. ” China cannot develop in isolation from the world, and the world also needs China for its development said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang last July.
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