Talks on over IAF evacuation plane’s arrival: China
BEIJING: China on Monday said “competent authorities” from the two countries were in contact over the planned arrival of the India Air Force’s (IAF) relief and evacuation aircraft in novel coronavirus (COVID-19)-hit Wuhan, days after India said Beijing was deliberately delaying it.
The statement from the Chinese foreign ministry comes amid the back and forth between New Delhi and Beijing over the delay in the IAF aircraft getting the required clearance to land in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
After bringing in medical supplies to aid China, on its way back the transport aircraft is scheduled to evacuate around 100 Indians, who continue to be stranded in Wuhan, locked down for over a month now.
“Competent authorities of the two countries are coordinating on this matter,” the Chinese foreign ministry told Hindustan Times in a written statement.
On Friday, spokesperson, Geng Shuang, had said: “There is no such a thing as China delaying giving flight permissions.”
There apparently is a delay, according to external affairs ministry officials in New Delhi who said over the weekend that Beijing was simply not moving on New Delhi’s plea. The Indian embassy in Beijing told Indians in Wuhan over the weekend that it was waiting for Beijing to give permission for the flight to land, asking them to be ready to be transported to the Wuhan airport and fly at a short notice.
India submitted details of the IAF’s Boeing-made C17 Gobesions master III aircraft to the Chinese foreign ministry over a week ago.
It is not clear what has caused the delay but in the same statement the Chinese foreign ministry sent to Hindustan Times on Monday, it responded to a query on India’s ban on medical imports to China. On the “prohibition on the export of medical materials, China has taken note of the ban issued by relevant departments of India,” the statement said.
“I want to point out that the Indian side has on many occa
THE INDIAN EMBASSY IN BEIJING TOLD INDIANS IN WUHAN THAT IT WAS WAITING FOR BEIJING TO GIVE PERMISSION FOR THE FLIGHT TO LAND
publicly expressed its support to the Chinese government and people in their all-out efforts to combat the outbreak of the new coronavirus pneumonia. China appreciates this,” it further said.
“We hope that the Indian side will, in the spirit of humanitarianism, release as soon as possible the medical and protective materials purchased by China before the ban and take concrete actions to support the Chinese people in fighting the epidemic,” it added.
The ban on exporting protective clothing could be the primary reason, despite the China-specific waiver that New Delhi implemented a week after the ban on January 31. What could have irked Beijing is that the initial ban on protective clothing was implemented abruptly and delayed orders, especially for masks, that were placed by Chinese companies last month. A large volume of masks meant for China got stuck at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and a crucial week was lost.
CORONA SCREENING EXTENDED TO KARTARPUR BORDER
The government on Monday decided to begin special screening of pilgrims coming from the Kartarpur border in Punjab, after a high-level meeting on Coronavirus Disease among home and health ministries, and health secretary, Punjab. Pilgrims will also have to mandatorily wear masks. India is likely to send a military transport aircraft to Wuhan on February 26 to deliver relief material and bring back more Indians following a clearance from China, the health ministry said in a statement on Monday.