Coronavirus: Chinese envoy thanks India for support, says ‘cases declining across China’

China’s Ambassador to New Delhi thanked India for its support during these "difficult times" saying he is deeply touched by the kindness of the Indian friends. Speaking under the theme of ‘Epidemic War: Unite Together Fight Together’ at the New Delhi Embassy, Ambassador Sun Weidong said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a letter of condolence to President Xi Jinping, expressing his recognition of the tremendous effort made by the Chinese government to deal with the outbreak.

"China and India have been keeping close communication on the epidemic. The Indian side assured the readiness to stand by China and provide the assistance that India can, to face this challenge," said Weidong.

Weidong said that India's support reminded him of Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis who provided medical assistance in China and saved many lives during the second Sino-Japanese War in 1938. Mentioning his experience during the SARS outbreak in 2003, Weidong said that he had the honour to receive a delegation from India led by the then Foreign Minister George Fernandes who visited Shanghai during the epidemic.

“We thank you for this and we have full confidence to win this battle,” he added.

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'Under control'

The Chinese Ambassador announced that the coronavirus epidemic is “generally” under control now and the number of confirmed cases outside Hubei province have been declining for 14 consecutive days across China. He said that there has been a cumulative drop of over 50 per cent in the number of confirmed cases and the epidemic in Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, and Hubei province is being managed more effectively. 

“There is a rapid increase in cure rate from 1.3 % to 8.2%. Over 12,000 people have recovered and are being discharged from hospitals,” said the Chinese envoy.

Highlighting the efforts of China, Weidong said that Beijing has put in place multi-level control and prevention mechanisms to contain COVID-19. The embassy has also put up a board for people to leave messages of support and solidarity in the fight against the deadly virus. 

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Talking about international support, Ambassador revealed that over 160 countries and international organisations displayed their support through telegrams and letters. China received medical supplies from 33 foreign governments and four international organisations. Regional organisations including BRICS and SCO also supported China in these tough times.

Weidong dismissed the claims of the novel coronavirus originating accidentally from Wuhan Institute of Virology and asserted that the virus originated from nature and is not man-made. Though the Ambassador admitted that they still don’t have enough knowledge, he added that the "virus is terrible but the rumour is more terrible".

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(With ANI inputs)