China will relax its COVID visa requirements for Indian students who are stranded back home.

China has announced that it is beginning the process of returning Indian students who are stuck in China due to the coronavirus pandemic. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wenbin said that the first batch of students may return “very soon.” This news comes as a relief to the thousands of Indian students who are waiting to return to their colleges in China.

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“We believe we will see the return of the first batch of Indian students very soon, and we will continue to pursue it with relevant work while ensuring their safety against COVID,” Wang said.

The Indian Embassy here has provided a list of Indian students wanting to return to China to resume their studies. China is currently processing the list and working on arrangements for their return.

There are over 23,000 Indian students stuck back home due to COVID visa restrictions, most of them studying medicine. India has submitted a list of several hundred students to China who want to return immediately. Arrangements are being made for their return as soon as possible.

Although flights from other countries are now allowed in China, the country has yet to resume flights between India and China. Flights between the two countries were halted during the height of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago and have remained suspended since. However, officials say that the two countries are in talks to restore limited flights between them.