Delhi asks for China's help to keep cargo flights operational

Even as Beijing offered to help New Delhi deal with the second Covid-19 wave, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday asked his counterpart in the Chinese Government, Wang Yi, to ensure that the communist country’s airlines continue to operate cargo flights to transport commercially procured medical equipment to India.

China’s Sichuan Airlines had recently planned to suspend cargo flights to Covid-19-hit India. Though it later retracted its plan and decided to continue operations, the flip-flop caused concerns in New Delhi, as several entities of India commercially procure ventilators, oxygen concentrators and other medical equipment from China.

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Jaishankar conveyed to the Chinese Foreign Minister New Delhi’s position on Beijing’s offer of support to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic in India. He told Wang that India’s entities were already in the process of commercially procuring medical equipment and raw materials from suppliers in China. This process would be facilitated if various transport corridors and cargo flights remained open and the necessary logistics support ensured expeditiously, a press release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs quoted him telling his counterpart in Beijing.

Jaishankar also told Wang during a phone call that the two nations should complete the disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in order to end the one-year-long military stand-off between the two nations in eastern Ladakh.

“Full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas would enable progress in the bilateral relationship,” Jaishankar told Wang.

Wang called Jaishankar to convey China’s “sympathy and solidarity” over the raging second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also received a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping, offering support to New Delhi to deal with the situation. It was the first message Modi received from Xi after the relations between New Delhi and Beijing hit a new low over the military stand-off along the LAC, particularly after the fatal clash between the soldiers of the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in Galwan Valley on June 15.

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The External Affairs Minister emphasized during the phone call that serious challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which had affected all countries, would require serious international cooperation.

Wang told Jaishankar that China supported India's efforts and would ensure that all the required materials expeditiously flow to entities in India. He told the External Affairs Minister that China’s companies would be encouraged and supported to deliver requisite materials to entities in India. The airports, customs and airlines would also be instructed to smoothly facilitate the movement of goods.

The chartered flights from India to China would be welcome and specific problems raised by India would be sorted out quickly, the MEA quoted the Foreign Minister of the communist country telling his counterpart in New Delhi.

He also offered any other appropriate assistance New Delhi might require from the Chinese Government.