E-Paper
Committed to open, stable supply chain of goods: China
India’s envoy to Hong Kong in an interview to South China Morning Post had complained of soaring prices of medical supplies sourced from China
Beijing on Friday said it is committed to an open and stable supply chain of goods, days after India’s Hong Kong envoy complained of high prices of medical supplies and snapping of regular freight flights from China.
The Chinese foreign ministry did not comment on the disruption of freight flights from China to India but said the sudden surge in demand for medical equipment in India has also contributed to the rising prices of medical goods.
The ministry’s response comes after Priyanka Chauhan, India’s consul general in Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) earlier this week that soaring prices of medical goods like much-in-demand oxygen concentrators and cargo flight disruptions were slowing supply arrivals from China to India.
Chauhan said New Delhi’s expectation at this point is that the supply chain should remain open and product prices should remain stable. ‘China is committed to smooth global industrial and supply chains and hopes that all parties can work together to ensure stability of global industrial and supply chains instead of disrupting the openness and stability of these chains for political purposes,” ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said responding to a question on Chauhan’s comments.
Hua’s comments on keeping the global supply chain open also comes in the backdrop of India keeping out Chinese companies including telecom giant Huawei from 5G trials, a move criticised by Beijing as discriminatory.
On the issue of rising prices of medical goods being sourced from China, Hua said demand and the shortage of certain kinds of raw material were contributing to the price escalation.
“Just taking oxygen concentrators as an example, the demand in India has soared by several times in just a short period of time and the raw materials are also in shortage. Further, the Indian side has also raised their demand through different channels, which has led to excessive demand in the market and driven up prices,” Hua said.
“The Chinese manufacturers even have to import some of the raw materials from other countries. We have faced similar problems before. We hope all parties can work together to ensure openness and stability of the supply chains,’’ she said.
India has a strong demand for raw and auxiliary material for vaccine production, she said, adding: “Since the beginning of this year Chinese companies have provided more than 10 tons to India and more than 20 tons are expected to be delivered in May and June.”
China, she said, is concerned about the epidemic situation in India and feels for “…what the Indian people are going through. China was among the first countries to offer help and support to India”.
“We have been encouraging and guiding our companies to facilitate India’s procuring of epidemic prevention materials. Many Chinese companies and NGOs have also been offering help to India in their own ways.”
In April, China exported over 26,000 ventilations and oxygen concentrators to India, more than 15,000 monitors and nearly 3,800 tons of medicine materials and drugs.
“The relevant Chinese companies have received orders from India for more than 70,000 oxygen concentrators and are stepping up their production for early delivery”.
