Stakeholders have suggested that there might be “significant” improvement in China’s outbound study market as the country gradually reopens. 

After two years of being almost completely closed off, direct flights and student flows are beginning to resume after officials announced “all students” would be welcome back to China.

An August 18 ministerial meeting convened by the Chinese government failed to deliver a date for return to China of thousands of African students.

Malaysia’s foreign minister has told local media that the country is “among [the] top priority countries in China’s pilot project for return of international students to China”, but Chinese officials have still not set a date for the return of students.

International students are more eager than ever to return to China amid the ongoing border closure due to Covid, according to an international student body.