KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of Malaysians studying in China are expected to return to campus in batches early August.

It is learned that the first batch of Malaysian students are taking a chartered flight to China on 8 August.

The students are required to undergo ten days of isolation upon arrival in China.

Sin Chew Daily learned that the Embassy of China in Malaysia is handling the matter following Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to the country earlier.

During his working visit to Malaysia, Wang promised to make arrangements for Malaysian students studying in China to return to university campus as soon as possible.

In a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah on 12 July, Wang said he would be arranging for Malaysian students to resume their studies in China.

It is learned that China initially planned to arrange for foreign students to return to university campus in March, but the plan was called off as new wave of Covid-19 pandemic led to lockdown measures being imposed in Shanghai.

The students were later informed in June that they would be returning to China in mid-July, but no follow-up development after the announcement.

One of the parents said he hoped the recent detection of new Covid-19 variants would not hamper arrangements for Malaysian students to resume their studies in China.

“My son is going to be a 5th year medical student in China. We have no choice but to let him resume his studies in China, no matter how expensive the airfare or how long the isolation,” he said.

He said students had been informed verbally since last year that they would soon be returning to campus but the notification was often met with no further development.

According to the Association of Graduates from Universities and Colleges of China, Malaysia, at least 6,300 Malaysians are studying in China as of June this year, excluding those not sharing their information with the association.

The association’s president Lin Guo Yuan said figures from China’s education ministry revealed that 9,479 Malaysian students were studying in the country in 2019.

There were 1,200 new students from Malaysia in 2021.

The association believed that more than 10,000 Malaysians are studying in universities and colleges in China.

The association also received updates of Malaysian students opting to end their studies in China after a two-year break.

Majority of Malaysian students returned home from China early 2020 when China imposed lockdown measures to combat Covid-19 pandemic.