Indian decision to cancel the order for Chinese ‘Testing Kits’, irresponsible,

New Delhi: China has become restless because of the Indian decision to cancel the order for testing Kits, found to be defective, placed with the Chinese companies. China has levelled a counter allegation that the people who are claiming that the Kits are defective have mishandled the kits. Ji Rong, the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India, said that degrading the Chinese products is irresponsible and biased.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had said that the Rapid Testing kits, imported from the Chinese companies Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics, were substandard. India also announced the cancellation of the order for testing kits, placed with these two companies. Earlier, the Union Health Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, had clarified that not a single Rupee would be paid to the companies supplying defective and substandard kits, irrespective of the country they belong.

China has reacted to this. China has expressed concerns over the Indian decision to cancel the order for testing kits. Ji Rong, the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India, said that quality products have always been a priority for China. The kits supplied the Chinese companies Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics had received a certificate of quality from the National Medical Product Administration of China. Pointing out that even the Indian Institute of Virology had certified the quality of the kits, Ji Rong tried to defend the Chinese companies. Rong levelled counter-allegations against India, saying that experts and trained personnel did not handle the kits.

Moreover, some people saying that Chinese products lack quality are having a biased attitude. Rong said that this is wrong and irresponsible. But Rong avoided clarifying, which people were being referred. Rong also pointed out that the same two companies have supplied kits to countries from Europe, Asia and Latin America. But Rong did not speak a word regarding the European companies making a similar claim like India, about the quality of the kits and returning the kits to China.

Analysts have warned that testing kits could become a new point of contention between India and China. Only last week, the Indian government amended the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms to thwart the China attempt of acquiring major stakes in the Indian companies, taking advantage of the reduced market valuation of the companies, due to the current crisis. Thereafter, India has delivered one more telling blow to China by cancelling the order for testing kits.