HUZHOU, CHINA, Dec 5 (Sin Chew Daily) — Malaysian students studying in China are likely to be back to campus to resume their studies soon.

Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said Malaysia is among the countries given priority to allow the students to return to China.

“We do not know when but we see the possibilities now,” he said.
It is learned that China will be allowing foreign students to resume their studies in China in phases.

Saifuddin said China is likely to open up in phases for the return of foreign students while Malaysian students are given priority among the foreign students.

Saifuddin said this after a bilateral talk with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Huzhou in China’s Zhejiang province.

Both Saiduffin and Wang jointly chaired a Malaysia-China High-Level Committee (HLC) meeting on cooperation in the post-pandemic era. The HLC was first established in April 2021.

The HLC is a ministerial level bilateral mechanism between Malaysia and China where a wide range of issues on collaboration will be discussed to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Saifuddin said about 8,000 Malaysian students are unable to return to China to resume their studies due to the pandemic.

“Only about a hundred Malaysian students have remained in China during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

Saifuddin said China would be allowing foreign students to return to China only in stages.

For instance, final year students will be given priority to return to the campus to complete their thesis, and science students to return for internship or laboratory experiments.

Saifuddin said the ministry and Embassy of China in Malaysia would assist Malaysian students by liaising with the Association of Graduates from Universities and Colleges in China, Malaysia to gather more information.

“We still do not know the criteria set by China and the information needed for Malaysian students to return to China, but we can assist the students to simplify the procedures of returning to China,” he said.

Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Embassy of China need assistance to compile the students’ information as majority of them are private students.