Indian professionals, whose families are in India and unable to get Chinese visas, requested Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, to talk to the Chinese government about the issue.Â
After almost two years of harsh lockdowns and travel restrictions, China has finally permitted some Indians to visit the country to complete their education or reunite with their family members working in China. Indian professionals, whose families are in India and unable to get Chinese visas, requested Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister, to talk to the Chinese government about the issue. Many Indian professionals who have been working in China for a long time gave a petition to Jaishankar on May 1.Â
“We have been separated from our respective families including kids for more than 26 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel and visa disruptions” read the petition filed by working professionals in various regions of China. The petition was submitted to the Indian Embassy in China. The petition added that “At the end of two years of the pandemic, when life seems to be coming back to normal in many other parts of the world, unfortunately, we still don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel and our family life remains disrupted and hangs in uncertainty.”Â
Hopes Of Reuniting Â
There are parents among the petitioners who have not seen their children in over two years. Some of the children of these petitioners had left China during the civil outbreak and are now unable to return to resume their studies in China.Â
Last week China announced that it will permit some Indian students to come back and resume their studies in the country. Zhao Lijian spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of external affairs stated that “Actually, the work for Indian students’ return has already been started. All that remains to be done is for the Indian side to provide the list of students who really need to come back to China.”Â
Indian professionals welcomed the move and stated “we humbly request you to use this opportunity to forward a list of our separated family members alongside the list of students to the Chinese authorities for their consideration on the humanitarian ground.”, in their petition.Â
Published By – Chirag Agrawal
Edited By – Architha Menon M
