The Chinese government has allowed a first group of 76 Thai students to return to university classes after two years of suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat on Saturday said the Chinese government has now begun to accept returning overseas students following an agreement made in February that they would soon be allowed to resume their studies.
Among the countries whose students can return are Thailand, South Korea, the Solomon Islands, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Russia and Sri Lanka.
The announcement also included foreign students seeking to return to Tianjin Juilliard, NYU Shanghai, Duke Kunshan universities, as well as the Schwarzman Scholars programme at Tsinghua University.
However, China will retain a bar on allowing all international students to freely travel in the country due to its zero-Covid policy, Mr Tanee said.
Talks have now reached the stage of making plans for a second round of student returns, he said.
Deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said that in light of the pandemic in China, many students were inevitably forced to study online.
"The premier has expressed concern and understands the anxiety among students who have not been able to resume studies in China," Ms Rachada said.
