An effective ban by Chinese authorities on travellers from India for the past two years has strained Indian businesses in China as well as families that have in some cases been separated for as long as two years.
Indian community associations in China estimate there are several thousand Indians who are waiting to return to China. This is in addition to thousands of students enrolled in Chinese universities – most in medical colleges – who have been calling on the Chinese government to facilitate their return.
Following talks with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi on March 25, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said he “took up strongly the predicament of Indian students studying in China who have not been allowed to return, citing COVID restrictions.”
