The Pacific Islands Forum says there are no arrangements in place to evacuate Pacific students studying in China under its scholarship programme.
This is despite the number of people killed by the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, continuing to increase.
Students spoken to by RNZ Pacific said their universities had either postponed or cancelled the school year and advised foreign students to return home if they can.
In a statement, the Forum Secretariat said they were in close contact with the Pacific Island diplomatic missions in China and there were efforts to ensure the safety of all students but there were no arrangements to evacuate them.
But Nicholas Ngele, a Solomon Islands student studying engineering in Shaanxi Province, which borders Hubei Province where Wuhan is, says students are getting anxious as the spread of the virus reaches more cities across China.
Staff members take passengers' body temperature at Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 21, 2020. Photo: AFP
