All foreign Students need to leave Beijing July and August?

[imron]

Yeah, they're not going to kick anyone out, they're just not got to renew or issue student visas during that time and so people have to leave of their own accord

So sure, they can safely say they're not kicking anyone out, but if that's not being CNN, I don't know what is, because in any other year, it would have been no problem for students to renew/obtain visas over the summer.

[Marco]

I am afraid that it all is 胡说八道, i went to get an new visa( changed passport)and got a visa till the end of july, then I aksed the Uni and they said as long as i pay my tuition nobody is going to order me out of he country., media in the west???? just as the chinese, don't trust them.

[renzhe]

Do all the student visas for all the students in Beijing collectively run out in June? Maybe they do, I don't know. I don't know much about Chinese visas, other than that the guys in the Chinese embassies abroad gave me flashbacks of the mid 80s Eastern Block officers.

I can't imagine a scenario where there won't be a huge number of foreign students who already have a visa that covers July and August, who won't be affected by any sudden visa changes.

[coolnicholas]

It's a absolute rumor, it's distortion news of west media !!!!!!!!!!!!! if you gus really know Chinese, why only read news of west newspaper? you should read news in real Chinese news website and you will find this story is ridiculous!!!!

http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2008-04-18/135915383815.shtml

[imron]

you should read news in real Chinese news website

And Chinese websites are supposed to be reliable?

I don't believe the newspapers (Western or Chinese), but I do believe it when people post things such as this thread.

That was posted here back in February, well before any of this current nonsense started.

When I start hearing stories about students who have successfully renewed their visa over the summer, then I'll believe it. As it stands, I've currently only heard of students (and businessmen) having problems getting a visa during this time.

They might not be kicking people out, they're just making it difficult to renew visas. It's a pretty slim difference.

[onebir]

It's a absolute rumor, it's distortion news of west media !!!!!!!!!!!!! if you gus really know Chinese, why only read news of west newspaper? you should read news in real Chinese news website and you will find this story is ridiculous!!!!

So CCTV4 must have been taken over by the evil western media - because they reported it last night.

[Guest phantom1987]

good news. i have not checked the chinese media, but here is some english.

for example

http://www.topnews.in/china-denies-plan-clear-out-all-students-olympics-236774

or

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/04/19/2003409684

[Lu]

I just saw the paper, and it seems it's exactly what I thought it was. Shame on the newspapers, western or otherwise, who reported this from such deeply flimsy sources. If I had had any faith left in the press I would have lost it now. This would have been so, so easy to check.

[wushijiao]

This would have been so, so easy to check.

Are you serious, or sarcastic here? SCMP reported that they just changed the visa regulations regarding Shenzhen and the countries that can get visas in HK with no advanced notice to anyone.

[Lu]

Dead serious. Call a Chinese official in the relevant ministry. Call the bigger unis. Actually I think these people were called, and said they didn't know a thing about it.

The people who told this story were: some German official; some agent between students and universities.

Weighing the reliability of these various sources and their information, one would reach the conclusion that for now at least it's only a rumor, and a serious newspaper should not print rumors.

If it were true, it would make sense that the government wants the students and unis to know, so that they can plan accordingly: change their flights, cancel their summer schools. It's not a state secret, quite the contrary, so if a government official says they don't know a thing about it, that would cast quite a lot of doubt on the story.

[liuzhou]

if a government official says they don't know a thing about it, that would cast quite a lot of doubt on the story.

Ha Ha!

[onebir]

Did anyone actually read the first story?

The headline: "China denies plan to clear out all students before Olympics"

Then a few paras down

But an administrator at the foreign students' office of People's University in Beijing said summer courses for foreigners were cancelled this year.

"We have no short-term training courses this year," the administrator said.

She confirmed that the courses were cancelled because of the holding of the Olympics in Beijing and said that students whose courses end this term would not be able to stay in China.

"This term ends on June 28 and the visas for students on courses which end then will expire on July 10," she said.

"It is impossible for these people to renew their visas if they want to stay in China or travel in China," she said.

A spokeswoman for Beijing University, which is one of China's most prestigious colleges and enrolls hundreds of foreign students annually on Chinese-language and other courses, on Thursday said most of its foreign students were expected to leave China over the summer.

"Even if you have to continue your studies in September, you need to leave Beijing in July and August," said the spokeswoman from Beijing University's international department.

She said the two-month gap applies to all universities in Beijing and was ordered by "higher authorities" because of the Olympics.

[againstwind]

Ok, actually, I heard another 'rumur' these days from my former classmates in college. Besides volunteers and staffs, all non-Beijing-resident Chinese college students 'must' leave the capital during the Olympics and the Paralympics.

Of course, I regarded it as unlikely. How can universities or authorities force students to leave? With oral threats (like...if you don't go, your final will get a ZERO!?) Or sticks? Or even guns? If they really want to watch the games here, especially some of them have already bought tickets, will they be forced to leave? At least, I've never heard any official confirmation from BOCOG yet.

I'd rather believe that the authority will 'encourage' students to leave provisionally, for they will probably find, in this summer, it's difficult to get on buses or subways which are much crowded than before, and the rent charge of houses are too expensive for poor them to afford. It's just suggestion.

As for international students, maybe there will be some difficulty on visa. But I don't think all of them must leave Beijing.

拜托！不至于吧？问题没那么严重吧？

Beijing need foreigners. Otherwise, the Olympics will become a China national games.

[Lu]

if a government official says they don't know a thing about it, that would cast quite a lot of doubt on the story.

Ha Ha!

Read the context.

If you want thousands of people to leave a city or country, you'd better start telling them. If you keep the plan a secret, chances are the people won't know they're supposed to leave, and your plan will fail. Arrests and protests are one thing, policy is something else.

As to waidi students in Beijing leaving, I suppose the easiest would be to just close the dorms over the summer. That will force the majority of them to go home.

[ruoxuan]

Rumor prevails.but won't last long.

[imron]

If you want thousands of people to leave a city or country, you'd better start telling them.

Actually there's no need. These people know when their current visa expires, and they'll find out soon enough when they try to extend or get a new one over the Olympic period whether they are welcome to stay or not. For anyone with an X or an F visa that expires before August, the evidence so far seems to point towards not.

[Marco]

After reading all those rumours and gossip the last couple a weeks I got really worried about getting a new student visa. But I worried for nothing, getting a new visa was a piece of cake, not only was it a peace of cake, my uni also got me scholarship from the Beijing government. So next semester I will start my masters and I can enjoy a summer holiday, you wont hear me complaining about China. It would be nice to hear some positive stories about china, I know it is often not that easy to get things done her, but the China bashing thing is becoming a bit too much for me.

Have a great summer

Marco