India sees cooperation as showing strength of ties

The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity for India and China to send a good message about their relationship, said Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri.

"There is considerable space for India and China to cooperate in controlling the spread of this pandemic," Misri told Indian and Chinese media at a video conference on Tuesday.

"The immediate aspect is for us to cooperate in the procurement of the much-needed medical equipment and products."

According to the Indian health ministry, the country had reported around 10,000 cases and 339 deaths by Tuesday.

India appreciates China's new quality checks on its medical exports, Misri said, and wants the process expedited to help with the evolving situation in India.

It is also important that "quality materials continue to be available at reasonable and stable prices", he said.

"When China was at the height of dealing with this outbreak we had offered and provided medical assistance," he said. "Now, we are in the process of actually commercially procuring a large number of these supplies."

India has placed big orders for medical supplies from China.

"We are in the process of or have already completed contracting for nearly 15 million PPE(personal protective equipment) kits, for instance, consisting of (medical) gowns, masks, gloves, goggles etc."

In addition, an order for 1.5 million rapid testing kits is being placed.

India aims to secure 17 million PPE sets, from domestic production and imports, and tens of thousands of ventilators, Misri said.

The country has been able to reduce people's exposure to the virus, with an infection rate at 0.6 people per day instead of 2.5, he said.

India has extended the lockdown, which was announced on March 24 and had been scheduled to end on Tuesday. It will continue until May 3.

Misri said the main disease control work is being undertaken by 520 hospitals, where 8,500 beds have been made available for intensive care units, with 85,000 beds for isolated care wards.

"Our efforts to preempt the transmission continue through a massive contact-tracing and surveillance operation," he said.

"The ramping up of testing capacity is a very important aspect of our efforts," he said, adding that testing kits are being developed.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and India. The outbreak has prevented the staging of activities to mark the event.

Misri said he looks forward to seeing a resumption of normal activities between the two countries, when the circumstances allow.