BEIJING: India and China are discussing the key issue of mutual recognition of university qualifications at a time when there are concerns in India about Indian students getting MBBS degrees from lesser known Chinese universities .

This is one of the issues discussed by officials of the two countries during the first meeting of the joint working group (JWG) on education in Beijing on Tuesday The Indian delegation was led by Madan Mohan, additional director-general (ICC), HRD ministry . The Chinese delegation was headed by Fang Jun, deputy director-general, department of international cooperation and exchanges, ministry of education.

There are over 23,000 Indian students studying in Chinese universities. Of these, 21,000 are medicine students.

India recently barred its universities from entering into any agreement for exchange programmes with institutions in China without clearance from the ministries of external affairs and home affairs.

China recently designated 45 medical colleges out of 200 to teach MBBS courses in English. The others conduct medicine courses using both Chinese and English.

Very few Chinese students are studying in India.

The next JWG meeting is to be held in India next year.

