Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang (Photo from Foreign Ministry website)

China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said that Western media reports of empty Canadian chartered planes flying back from China are "inaccurate" and China never restricted the approval of Canadian chartered flights or the duration of their stay.

The comments came as Canadian CBC News reported that two cargo planes chartered by the Canadian federal government and a provincial government to take medical supplies from China returned with no cargo on board, citing ground congestion at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Western media reports are not accurate, Geng Shuang, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a press briefing on Wednesday. "Chinese airports and regulators didn't restrict Canadian chartered planes or the duration of their stay at the airport," he said.

Since the coronavirus outbreak, China and Canada have supported and helped each other to cooperate in the fight against the disease, Geng said.

Recently, the Canadian side came to China to purchase medical supplies via various channels and sent chartered planes to carry the  goods from Shanghai, for which China actively offered assistance and convenience in purchasing and arranging for the charter planes' approval, Geng said. "Canada repeatedly expressed gratitude," he said.