Bilal Khan, a PhD scholar at East China Normal University, Shanghai returned to China after the introduction of the new student visa policy by the Chinese authorities effective on August 24. He said that he left Islamabad on September 9 for Xi'an, where he will spend a 7-day quarantine in a hotel before departing for Shanghai. He said that everything is going smoothly; the situation was normal and the authorities were very cooperative. The students must comply with the quarantine procedures and cooperate with the authorities for a hassle-free experience, he said. 

Bilal said that he was accompanied by one other Pakistani student on board the Pakistan Int'l Airlines (PIA) flight to Xi'an, while the majority of the passengers were post-doc scholars who also had Chinese work visas. Bilal first shared the news of his departure for Xi'an under the new policy on social media. Several students while commenting on his post shared that they were also at different stages of the process to returning to China. The students said that their respective institutions had contacted them to inform that they were making preparations for the students' early return as per the new policy guidelines of the Chinese Government. 

The students while expressing enthusiasm over the new visa policy also hailed Ji Rong, Counsellor at Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, for her tireless efforts to make possible the return of the international students to China. 

Bilal is guiding fellow Pakistani students regarding obtaining No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for return to China, the health declaration card, quarantine procedures and ticketing information. 

Ji Rong, while commenting on Bilal's post, expressed pleasure over his return to China and wished him good luck. She is also interacting with Pakistani students through social media and responding to their questions regarding the new student visa policy, which is drawing appreciation from aspirant students.