China-India Brief #155

Guest Column

Contradictory and Reconciliatory Actions of China and India during the Pandemic

By Xu Shengwei    

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participating in the G20 Virtual Summit on COVID-19 on March 26, 2020.
Photo from Prime Minister's Office of India

With the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, the total number of confirmed infections in India has reached 519 as of March 25, with 10 reported deaths. In view of the growing number of cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on March 24 that the whole nation will be put under lockdown for the next 21 days, claiming that if India does not “handle these 21 days well”, then the country “will go backwards by 21 years.”[1] However, while the announcement brought some degree of reassurance to the people, it also unleashed a wave of panic. Many Indians rushed to the nearest supermarkets and sundry goods stores to stock up on supplies, not knowing when and how they would be allowed to leave their homes to buy food and other necessities again.[2]

Just as the lockdown sent many Indians into panic-buying, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the external affairs minister of India, had a telephone conference with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on March 25.[3] Wang expressed his appreciation to India for the latter’s assistance and sympathy towards China during the COVID-19 crisis, and in light of the rising number of cases in India, he in turn extended China’s sympathy to India. He further stated that “as a friend and neighbour” to India, China will “continue to share its experience and provide help to the best of its ability” for India to overcome this crisis.[4] 

The diplomatic niceties could not hide the fact that the relationship between China and India has been at a near-standstill since the beginning of the year. So far, China has not sent any official medical teams to India, nor has it delivered any substantial amount of medical supplies to the South Asian country. While it is true that what China can do in terms of assistance is up to Beijing to define, its help  to India so  far is still a far cry from its prompt assistance to some other countries. For example, China sent a group of 6 medical experts to Serbia together with a dozen tons of medical supplies on March 21;[5] and on March 25, China sent its third batch of medical experts to Italy.[6] Another team of 8 medical experts from China arrived in Pakistan on March 28, along with at least 10,000 N95 face masks and 12 respirators. China has vowed to supply Pakistan with more medical and protective gear, and will also assist in the construction of a quarantine hospital in the country.[7] 

The contrast between China’s quick and committed assistance to countries like Italy, Serbia, and Pakistan and its inaction towards India could be seen as a response to some actions by India over the past two months. In late January and early February, when China was fighting the direst battle against COVID-19, India banned the export of face masks and protective clothing.[8] On top of this, some long-standing bilateral disputes re-surfaced, further straining relations between the two countries during this difficult period. For example, on February 20, the Indian Home Minister, Amit Shah, made an official visit to the disputed state of Arunachal Pradesh (which China calls South Tibet), leading Beijing to lodge a protest.[9] Also, it was reported that since the outbreak of the epidemic, there have been Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attacks launched against China’s counter-virus facilities and medical websites. According to staff from Qihoo 360, China’s leading internet security company, these APT attacks were allegedly launched by “Indian hacker groups”.[10]  While visits by high-ranking Indian officials to Arunachal Pradesh have been the norm and both China and India have occasionally conducted cyber-attacks on each other, these actions during such a sensitive time still inevitably raised eyebrows in China.  

However, despite the controversies and disputes, both sides are striving to improve or at least mend their relationship. For example, early on February 8, Modi wrote to President Xi Jinping to express India’s solidarity and support to China and the Chinese people.[11] On the same day, India’s ban on face masks and other personal protective gears was partially lifted, allowing some types of surgical masks and gloves to be exported to China, even though other crucial medical equipment, such as protective coveralls and N-95 face masks, remained on the export ban list.[12] Moreover, on February 26, India also sent 15 tons of medical supplies worth Rs 21.1 million to China. The items supplied to China included N-95 masks and other essential items such as defibrillators and infusion pumps, which had been banned from export.[13] On the other hand, India is now planning to procure face masks and ventilators from China, and Chinese manufacturers have expressed their willingness to provide medical supplies.[14] In fact, the Chinese billionaire Jack Ma has already donated the first batch of medical supplies to India via the Alibaba Foundation, and more batches of supplies are expected soon.[15] 

In China, the COVID-19 is gradually coming under control while India is seeing a steadily rising number of infection cases, and experts are fearing that “the real tally could be much higher.”[16] If infections rise uncontrollably as in the case of Italy and Iran, India could need Chinese assistance to contain the pandemic. It is therefore important that both countries limit their ongoing disputes at least for now and cooperate with each other in containing the pandemic. Cooperation between the two powers as they seek to curb the pandemic could be an opportunity to repair their relationship and to establish strong foundations for a constructive and sustainable relationship.

[1]  Rajini Vaidyanathan, “Coronavirus: India enters ‘total lockdown’ after spike in cases”, BBC, 25 March 2020. Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52024239. Accessed March 26, 2020.

[2]  Ibid.

[3]  "Wang Yi tong yindu waizhang su jiesheng tong dianhua” (“Wang Yi had a phone call with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar”), Guanchazhe (The Observer), March 25, 2020. Available at https://www.guancha.cn/internation/2020_03_25_543752.shtml. Accessed March 26, 2020.

[4]  “State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi Speaks on the Phone with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 25, 2020. Available at https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjb_663304/wjbz_663308/activities_663312/t1761106.shtml. Accessed March 26, 2020.

[5]  “Zhongguo yuanzhu saierweiya zhuanjia yiliaodui shou zuigao liyu yingjie: saizongtong shenqing qinwen wuxinghongqi” (“China’s medical assistance expert team to Serbia received the highest welcome: Serbian president emotionally kissed the Chinese flag”), Guanchazhe (The Observer), March 22, 2020. Available at https://www.guancha.cn/internation/2020_03_22_542978.shtml. Accessed March 30, 2020.

[6]  “Waijiaobu: zhongguo disanpi fu yidali kangyi yiliao zhuanjiazu 3 yue 25 ri yi qicheng” (“MOFA: The third batch of anti-epidemic expert group has departed towards Italy on March 25”), The Paper, March 25, 2020. Available at http://m.thepaper.cn/kuaibao_detail.jsp?contid=6679399&from=kuaibao. Accessed March 30, 2020.

[7]  “Zhongguo zhengfu xiang bajisitan panqian kangyi yiliaozhuanjiazu,” (“The Chinese government sends out an anti-epidemic expert group to Pakistan”), Guanchazhe (The Observer), March 28, 2020. Available at  https://www.guancha.cn/politics/2020_03_28_544276.shtml. Accessed March 30, 2020.

[8]  “India bans export of protective masks, clothing amid coronavirus outbreak,” Reuters, January 31, 2020. Available at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-india/india-bans-export-of-protective-masks-clothing-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-idUSKBN1ZU20A. Accessed March 27, 2020.

[9]  “China objects to Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Arunachal Pradesh,” India Today, February 20, 2020. Available at https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/china-objects-to-amit-shah-arunachal-pradesh-visit-1648302-2020-02-20. Accessed March 30, 2020.

[10]  Hou Jiaxin, “Nayiqing zuoer! Yidu heike zuzhi dui zhongguo chenhuodajie” (“Using the epidemic as a bait! Indian hacker group robbing China in its dire strait”), Global Times, February 5, 2020. Available at  https://world.huanqiu.com/article/3wuSFRNJhsO. Accessed March 30, 2020.

[11]  “India provided 15 tonnes of medical supplies worth Rs 2.11 crore to coronavirus-hit China: Government,” The Economic Times, March 18, 2020. Available at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-provided-15-tonnes-of-medical-supplies-worth-rs-2-11-crore-to-coronavirus-hit-china-government/articleshow/74693578.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst. Accessed March 31, 2020.

[12]  "Amendment in Export Policy of Personal Protection Equipment/Masks,” Ministry of Commerce & Industry, February 8, 2020. Available at https://dgft.gov.in/sites/default/files/Noti%2047_0.pdf. Accessed March 31, 2020.

[13]  “India provided 15 tonnes of medical supplies worth Rs 2.11 crore to coronavirus-hit China: Government,” The Economic Times, March 18, 2020.

[14]  “Coronavirus: India to buy masks, ventilators from China to meet shortage,” Business Today, March 31, 2020. Available at https://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/pharma/coronavirus-india-to-buy-masks-ventilators-from-china-to-meet-shortage/story/399721.html. Accessed March 31, 2020.

[15]  “India receives essential medical supplies from Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation,” The Hindu Business Line, March 29, 2020. Available at https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/india-receives-essential-medical-supplies-from-jack-ma-foundation-and-alibaba-foundation/article31197181.ece. Accessed March 31, 2020.

[16]  “Pessimistic Indian doctors brace for tsunami of coronavirus cases,” The Straits Times, March 30, 2020. Available at https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/pessimistic-indian-doctors-brace-for-tsunami-of-coronavirus-cases. Accessed March 30, 2020.

Xu Shengwei is a Research Assistant at the Centre on Asia and Globalisation (CAG). He holds a Masters in Arts (Philosophy) from the University of Tuebingen and a Bachelor of Arts (Double Major in European Studies and Political Science) degree from the National University of Singapore. His research interests include political philosophy, Sino-centric political theories, and governance.

The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy or the National University of Singapore.

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