China reaches out amid surge, but India wary

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 30

China on Friday made a major reachout to India through a letter from its President Xi Jinping to PM Narendra Modi followed by a telephonic conversation between Foreign Ministers Wang Yi and S Jaishankar. Following the delivery of relief from two aircraft, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken also spoke to Jaishankar to review the flow of equipment and material from America. The call came shortly after the Jaishankar-Wang conversation.

Xi is the fourth major world leader this week to reach out to PM Modi after US President Joe Biden, Japan PM Yoshihide Suga and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In his letter, Xi Jinping expressed concern about the recent situation in India and said Beijing stood ready to strengthen cooperation in providing support and help in fighting the pandemic.

The complexity of Sino-Indian ties came out in the conversation between Jaishankar and Wang. In terse social media posts, Jaishankar yielded little ground, refraining from thanking the Chinese side for the aid offers. Instead, Jaishankar highlighted the importance of “supply chains and air flights being kept open in these circumstances”, in an allusion to a Chinese air cargo company suspending its operations to India as well as to complaints from an Indian-American about Beijing blocking his purchases of Chinese equipment for dispatch to Delhi. Jaishankar also sought more openness to Indian chartered flights landing in China to bring back medical equipment and welcomed Wang’s assurances in that regard.

Jaishankar also revealed that he “also discussed the issue of full and sincere implementation of the Moscow Agreement of complete disengagement at all friction points along the LAC and full restoration of peace and tranquillity in eastern Ladakh. Agreed to continue discussions in this respect.”

Wang had on Thursday sent a message to Jaishankar, reiterating China’s support to India in procuring materials.

Relief material received on Friday

• UK: 280 oxygen concentrators, 40 ventilators
• Ireland: 700 oxygen concentrators, 365 ventilators
• Romania: 80 oxygen concentrators, 75 oxygen cylinders, 20 humidified oxygen therapy devices
• US: Two flights — 500 oxygen cylinders, 9 lakh rapid diagnostic test kits and one lakh face masks

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