Tens of thousands of international students waiting for the last one year to return to their universities in China have written an open letter to the Chinese government demanding a clear schedule for their phase wise return to their campuses. The letter posted on Facebook claimed to be signed by tens of thousands of overseas students demanded that their case may be treated like an education emergency and they be allowed to come back like other international travelers and business people as it's been more than a year of uncertainty.<br />'' <br />'' They said, it's practically not possible to continue the studies in online mode due to lack of lab experiments, issues related to time zone differences, lack of direct communication between teachers and students, slow internet and bad electricity supply in many countries. They said their scholarship has also been suspended by Chinese Scholarship Authority, without giving any reason and without them breaking any regulations which has also caused great difficulty to many. <br />'' <br />'' Those who took educational loans instead of scholarships are amassing an immense financial burden due to delay in their studies. As mentioned in the open letter, they have written several emails and sent many letters in hard copy to various Chinese authorities but till now, they have not received any official news. They said, they are ready to follow all the COVID regulations of Chinese government.<br />'' <br />'' Chinese Foreign Ministry without giving any clarity said that China attaches high importance to the protection of rights of the overseas students. Chinese universities are required to handle their legitimate concerns. The ministry said, China will handle that matter in a coordinated and overall manner. It said, we have to take into account many factors and priority for us is to join hands to fight against the COVID-19.<br />'' <br />'' China has lakhs of international students and most are out of the country at the moment. Since COVID-19 first broke out, and border restrictions came into place in March 2020, many international students studying in China have found themselves locked out of the country who went back to their home countries during winter vacations and Chinese New Year in 2020. After China saw success in its COVID control measures in 2020 and started to slowly relax border control and allow non-Chinese nationals to return for family, business or work-related issues, the majority of international students were not allowed.<br />'' <br />'' Over 23,000 Indian students pursuing their higher studies in China, mostly in medicine courses, are under tremendous pressure as they have lost one precious year, facing a bleak future now. Chinese authorities have repeatedly advised that COVID-19 restrictions in place are not likely to be relaxed in coming months and students should be advised accordingly, said a statement released by Indian Embassy earlier this month. The embassy advised Indian students enrolled in Chinese universities to take note of the restrictions by China and make appropriate arrangements for continuing their education. They should also remain in touch with their universities for any s, the statement said.<br />'' <br />''With the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in China, authorities have further reinforced the epidemic controls and restrictions on travel and entry into China. Chinese authorities have also denied permission for operation of any chartered flights between India and China citing their strict control measures.<br />