'China has not started accepting visa applications,' clarifies Chinese Embassy in India

The Chinese Embassy in India issued a statement on June 10 clarifying that the Chinese embassy has not yet started taking visa applications from Indian students and families to return to the country. The clarification came in view of recent reports suggesting that a few Indians got telephonic confirmation from the Embassy of China in India about the Chinese embassy receiving visa applications from June 10, 2022. 

However, refuting such reports, the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, Wang Xiaojian took to Twitter and said, "It is not true that "few Indians got telephonic confirmation from the Embassy of China in India that the Chinese embassy will start accepting visa applications from 10th of this month."

Earlier on Thursday, while addressing a press conference regarding the same, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian also said the same, and further added that the relevant visa details and policies are being updated by the government itself. 

Answering a question on where visa applications of Indian students and families are being accepted by the Chinese government, Lijian said, ''Thanks for your interest in Indian students’ return to China. I have answered relevant questions many times from journalists like you and your Indian colleagues. I can tell you that since the start of the pandemic, China has been facilitating the return to China of foreigners, including foreign students, who need to come to China while ensuring such return is COVID-secure. We have also been updating relevant visa and other policies in light of the situation. As for your question, I would refer you and your colleagues to the Chinese Embassy in India."

Indian students & working professionals wait desperately for Chinese visas

Notably, this came in the wake of a few messages that have been circulating in a few groups on WeChat, a popular Chinese messaging app stating that a few Indians received telephonic confirmation from the Embassy of China in India that the Chinese embassy will start accepting visa applications from 10th of this month.

This triggered a wave of anxiety among the Indians waiting for their visas. Earlier in April, the Chinese government had also shared a Google form to fill in details of the Indian students who wish to return to China for their offline studies. 

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, several Indian students and working people came back to India after the Chinese government closed all universities and further imposed visa restrictions for foreign nationals. It has been almost two years as the students wait desperately to resume their studies, while many wait to reunite with their families. 

Image: PTI