<p>The government on Tuesday barred Indian universities from entering into any agreement for exchange programmes with the institutions in China without prior clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).</p>.<p>The Indian universities, which have already signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Chinese institutions, have also been asked to put on hold implementation of the pacts till MEA and MHA provide clearances.</p>.<p>New Delhi’s move came at a time when China is persistently echoing Pakistan to oppose India’s recent decisions on Jammu and Kashmir. It also came days before the proposed second “informal summit” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.</p>.<p>Following a directive from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the University Grants Commission (UGC) sent out a communiqué to the vice-chancellors of all government and private varsities on Tuesday. It noted that a number of Indian universities have signed agreements or the MoUs with the Chinese universities for exchange programmes for both students and faculty members as well as for the opening of the Chinese language centres in India.</p>.<p>Sources said the HRD ministry’s move came after MHA and MEA of late expressed concern over possible implications of such tie-ups on national security.</p>.<p>It came four years after India and China signed MoU for educational exchange during the prime minister’s visit to Beijing in May 2015.</p>.<p>The bonhomie that marked the relations between India and China since the first informal summit between Modi and Xi in April 2018 came under stress over Beijing’s repeated criticism against New Delhi’s recent decisions on Kashmir.</p>
<p>The government on Tuesday barred Indian universities from entering into any agreement for exchange programmes with the institutions in China without prior clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).</p>.<p>The Indian universities, which have already signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Chinese institutions, have also been asked to put on hold implementation of the pacts till MEA and MHA provide clearances.</p>.<p>New Delhi’s move came at a time when China is persistently echoing Pakistan to oppose India’s recent decisions on Jammu and Kashmir. It also came days before the proposed second “informal summit” between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.</p>.<p>Following a directive from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the University Grants Commission (UGC) sent out a communiqué to the vice-chancellors of all government and private varsities on Tuesday. It noted that a number of Indian universities have signed agreements or the MoUs with the Chinese universities for exchange programmes for both students and faculty members as well as for the opening of the Chinese language centres in India.</p>.<p>Sources said the HRD ministry’s move came after MHA and MEA of late expressed concern over possible implications of such tie-ups on national security.</p>.<p>It came four years after India and China signed MoU for educational exchange during the prime minister’s visit to Beijing in May 2015.</p>.<p>The bonhomie that marked the relations between India and China since the first informal summit between Modi and Xi in April 2018 came under stress over Beijing’s repeated criticism against New Delhi’s recent decisions on Kashmir.</p>
