Beijing, Dec 26: China said that there was no "link" between the situation of the Indian crew on two stranded ships at Chinese ports and its strained relations with India.

 

 

The External Affairs Ministry on Thursday said that two cargo vessels with a total of 39 Indians on board have been on anchorage in Chinese waters as they were not allowed to unload their cargo though some other ships have managed to do so. "We also understand, however, that some other ships, which arrived after the Indian ship had arrived, have actually managed to discharge cargo and leave. The reasons for this are not clear. We have also taken note of the Chinese MFA statement yesterday about the provision of necessary facilitation and assistance," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

 

 

 

However, when asked about India's concern relating to the Indian crew members of the ships and whether China's decision on this issue has related to the current situation between India, China and Australia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing on Friday "we stated repeatedly that China has clear regulations on port epidemic prevention and control as well as quarantine of crew members."

  

 

Further, he added, "The Chinese authorities have been in close communication with the Indian side, responding to its demands in a timely manner, and providing essential convenience and assistance as allowed by the epidemic regulations."

 

He added, "Some Chinese ports now allow crew change as long as the epidemic regulations permit, but Jingtang Port and Caofeidian Port are not among them. It is the shipping party's independent choice whether to adjust its operation plan. You may ask the competent authorities or the local government about the specifics."

 

When asked about whether it is related to the strained relations with India and Australia, he said, "You asked whether this has something to do with China-Australia and China-India relations. I don't see any links there."

 

Meanwhile, India is engaged with China in a border standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. On the other hand, "The ties between Australia and China in the past few months nose-dived after Canberra barred Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies from its national 5G network over national security concerns."

 

China also resented Canberra's push for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in April. Reports from Australia say China has been restricting a number of Australian exports, including coal. China last month has also blamed the freight forwarder of Jag Anand' ship for the impasse, saying he is not letting the ship to leave.