Modi File photo:VCG

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sends a message of condolences to Indian PM Narendra Modi over India's worsening COVID-19 crisis. Xi said China is willing to enhance cooperation with India in the fight against COVID-19 and provide help to the country.

Analysts hailed the move as China's firing of the "biggest goodwill" to its neighbor who is ravaged by the pandemic. 

In the message, Xi said that he is concerned about India's COVID-19 situation; and he sends condolences to the Indian government and people, in the name of the Chinese government, people and himself. 

Xi said China is willing to strengthen cooperation with India in fighting the pandemic and provide the country with help and support.

The Chinese President said he believes under the leadership of the Indian government, India will conquer the viral spread.

India is battling a devastating second COVID-19 wave, with 386,452 new cases reported on Thursday alone, and deaths from COVID-19 jumped by 3,498 overnight, according to the country's health ministry data.

"Being one of the first big powers to show willingness of helping and now comes the President's message of condolence, China is firing the biggest goodwill to India," Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.

Qian said that China, out of humanitarian purpose, offered to help because "no one can detach itself from a pandemic that is ravaging the world." Qian said he hopes that anti-virus cooperation can transcend border disputes between the two countries and hopefully China-India ties that has been frozen since last year will eventually improve. 

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday sent a message of sympathy to India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar over the COVID-19 situation in the country.

China has repeatedly expressed its willingness to provide help to India in battling the virus. 

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Friday that Chinese society, including red cross, regional governments, private organizations and companies, has been mobilized to send anti-pandemic materials to India.

According to incomplete statistics, China has exported more than 26,000 ventilators and oxygenators, 15,000 patient monitors and approximately 3,800 tons of medicine to India since April. 

Chinese medical companies are gearing up their production, and more of these materials will be sent to India in the upcoming days, said Wang, noting that the majority of those donations and purchases are conducted in non-governmental ways.

Wang mentioned that cargo flight routes from China to India are operating smoothly, and there are multiple Chinese flights ferried from China to India. Chinese authorities are facilitating customs clearances and transportations for conveying anti-COVID19 materials from Chinese cities to India, according to Wang.

Global Times