Xi Jinping to PM Modi: May India prevail over pandemic

Amid an escalating public health crisis in India triggered by surge of coronavirus cases, Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered support and cooperation to India to fight the pandemic.

“The Chinese side stands ready to strengthen cooperation with the Indian side in fighting the pandemic and provide support and help in this regard,” President Xi said in a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I believe that under the leadership of the Indian Government, the Indian people will surely prevail over the pandemic,” said the Chinese leader.

“I am very concerned about the recent situation of COVID-19 pandemic in India. On behalf of the Chinese Government and people, as well as in my own name, I would like to express sincere sympathies to the Indian Government and people,” said President Xi, according to a tweet by Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong.

“Humanity is a community with a shared future. Only through solidarity and cooperation can countries around the world ultimately defeat the pandemic,” he said.

Mr Xi’s message to PM Modi came a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrote a letter to his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar and promised to do the utmost in supporting India’s fight against the COVID-19 surge.

In a letter to Mr Jaishankar, Mr Wang said that the Chinese side “shares empathy for the challenges facing India and expresses sincere sympathy” and assured that anti-pandemic materials produced in China were entering India at a faster pace.

“The coronavirus is the common enemy of mankind, and the international community needs solidarity and coordination for a concerted response. The Chinese side firmly supports the Indian Government and people in fighting the pandemic,” he wrote in the letter, a copy of which was tweeted by Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong.

On April 29, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin termed as “fake news” the reports of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum’s (USISPF) allegations that Beijing has stopped shipments of oxygen concentrators being procured from China to be delivered to India to meet the oxygen shortages in view of the surge of COVID-19 cases.

Asked about the media reports quoting Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of Washington based USISPF, stating China has stopped all-cargo flights delaying his organisation’s efforts to source 100,000 oxygen concentrators from China to India, Wang Wenbin said it is a “fake news”.

Mr Aghi was quoted as saying by sections of the media that in order to overcome logistics challenges, his organisation is sourcing the oxygen concentrators from China for easy transportation to India. He alleged that in view of Chinese action to stop the logistics flights to India, the concentrators are to be routed through Tokyo and Dubai resulting in delay.

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