Consider a situation wherein a large social media following and earning enough revenue to make ends meet on the platform, only to have all of your hard work vanish overnight. According to China Daily, the latest chapter in the saga of India-China news in higher education is that Indian students are concerned about their country’s ban on Chinese apps, which went into effect in June 2020.
The Indian government has banned over 200 Chinese apps, including popular social media and messaging platforms such as TikTok and WeChat, citing national security concerns. The consequences are dire for Indian students, even those who are not enrolled in Chinese universities.
“It was not easy to see the app go offline almost overnight,” a student and content creator named Gauri told China Daily. Prior to the ban, she had over six million followers on TikTok. “It was extremely painful because it took a lot of hard work to build a follower base.” Her anguish is shared by Ravi, a dancer from an impoverished family in Uttar Pradesh, who had been earning his living on the app with seven million followers to his name.
The situation is serious for Indian students who have been barred from entering China since March 2020, and who now face significant communication barriers. For more than two years, they have had to make do with completing their education entirely online, despite issues with poor connectivity and ineffective remote learning. The app ban exacerbated their situation because Chinese universities typically communicate via local apps such as WeChat, QQ, and Youku, all of which are currently blocked in India.
Some students report being unable to access their online classes at all, while others report having to go out of their way to attend their classes.
“Connecting to a VPN to access these apps slows the system. As returning to offline classes is not possible at present, lifting the ban on these apps could at least provide some relief for us,” Nagmani, a student of Jinan University in Guangzhou, was quoted saying in China Daily.
Currently, there are around 23,000 Indian students who are barred from entering China, the majority of whom are medical students who risk losing everything if no progress is made in their academic limbo. The outpouring of rage has resulted in a slew of online campaigns on Twitter, with hashtags like #SaveIndianSudentsOfChina and #TakeUsBackToChina.
On the ground, Kerala-based medical students enrolled in Chinese universities protested outside the state secretariat building, demanding validation for their residency setting. The National Medical Commission (NMC) previously stated that medical degrees obtained outside of India without on-the-job training will not be recognised in the country. Many are completing clinical training in local hospitals, but the NMC has made no decision to recognise their medical degrees as “valid,” even if they have completed all components of their studies.
Amidst back-and-forth between Indian and Chinese officials, no clear directive has been issued allowing Indian students to enter China. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted as having “assured” India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar that the issue would be forwarded to higher authorities in Beijing, but no word on a return has been received since the statement was made.
The doubt is compounded by the fact that a small group of students from Sri Lanka and Pakistan is scheduled to enter China to resume their on-campus studies. India’s response was to suspend approved Chinese tourist visas, effectively barring Chinese citizens from entering the country. Those travelling on a business, employment, diplomatic, or official visa are not covered by the new executive order.
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