Wuhan flight held up by China, say officials
THE CHINESE EMBASSY DENIED ANY DELAY AND SAID AUTHORITIES ARE CAREFULLY ASSESSING THE GROUND SITUATION
NEW DELHI: India and China engaged in a terse exchange on Saturday over clearance for an Indian flight to bring back about 100 Indian nationals from the Coronavirus-affected Hubei province, with the Indian side saying permission was being deliberately held up by Beijing.
India had planned to send a C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft to Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, on February 20, but the flight has been unable to leave because Chinese authorities haven’t cleared it.
People familiar with the developments, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Chinese government had not granted clearance for the flight that was to carry relief and medical supplies, and bring back the
remaining Indians in Wuhan, even though the flight plan was submitted on February 15.
“The Chinese side is deliberately delaying the grant of clearance for the evacuation flight. They continued to maintain there is no delay even on Friday, the day the flight was again supposed to go, but inexplicably the clearance has not been given,” said a person who declined to be identified.
Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong responded by saying that authorities in her country were carefully assessing the complicated ground situation at a time when prevention and control of Covid-19 had entered a critical stage. She added: “There is no such thing as China deliberately delaying granting flight permission.”
Ji said China “always attaches great importance to the health and safety of Indian nationals” and has provided assistance for their repatriation.
“We are carefully assessing ground situation, as prevention work requires. Competent departments of the two countries are keeping communication and coordination in this regard,” she added.
Following this, the people cited above said the delay by the Chinese authorities “appears deliberate” as the Indian side submitted the request for the third evacuation flight on February 13 and initially proposed February 20 as the date for the flight.
A person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, noted that Japan, Ukraine and France had operated three flights from Wuhan since February 16. “If the work was not critical enough to stop or delay these flights, how did it suddenly become critical for the Indian flight?” the person said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently written to Chinese President Xi Jinping to convey the solidarity of the people and government of India to their Chinese counterparts in meeting the challenge of the coronavirus outbreak, and he also offered to provide whatever assistance India could.
The Indian government then put together relief supplies as a token of solidarity, particularly in the 70th year of diplomatic relations, the people said.
“These supplies have been offered even as India faces tremendous shortage itself, given our ethos of helping others, especially neighbours, in their hour of need,” said the person quoted above.
The materials that were to be ferried by the flight include gloves, surgical masks, feeding and infusion pumps, and defibrillators, and were put together based on requirements indicated by the Chinese side, the people said.
India evacuated hundreds of its nationals from Wuhan and other parts of Hubei in two earlier flights. Wuhan was home to a large number of Indian students and professionals.
“The remaining Indians in Wuhan are continuing their long wait for the flight to evacuate them and the delay is causing them and their families in India tremendous mental anguish,” the person added.
The officials noted that relief and evacuation flights from other countries were operating unhindered and questioned why the Chinese government was delaying clearance only for the Indian flight.
“Are they not interested in Indian aid provided as our token of support? Why are they creating roadblocks in evacuating our nationals from Wuhan and putting them under hardship and mental agony?” asked a second person who too did not wish to be named.