MV Anastasia, with 16 Indian nationals as a crew, is anchored near the Caofeidian port in China. (Archive)
Beijing:
China said on Friday there was no “link” between the situation of the Indian crew on two ships stranded in Chinese ports and its strained relations with India and Australia.
India’s Foreign Ministry said in New Delhi on Thursday that two cargo ships with a total of 39 Indians on board have been anchored in Chinese waters as they were not allowed to unload their cargo, although some other ships have succeeded. .
“There is a considerable amount of stress on the crew members due to this unprecedented situation,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava.
Srivastava said the MV Jag Anand bulk cargo ship has been anchored near the Jingtang port in China’s Hebei province since June 13 and has 23 Indian sailors. Another vessel, MV Anastasia, with 16 Indian nationals as a crew, has been anchored near the Caofeidian port in China since September 20, awaiting the unloading of its cargo, it had reported.
“Our Embassy in Beijing has been in constant contact with the provincial and central government authorities in China, requesting that ships be allowed to dock and / or that the crew be changed,” Srivastava said.
When asked about India’s concerns about the crew members of the ships and whether China’s decision on this issue was related to the current situation between India, China and Australia, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China Wang Wenbin said on Friday: “We repeatedly state that China has clear stipulations on quarantine measures. In this regard, China has been in close communication with the Indian side and has responded to their requests, as well as providing them with the necessary assistance. “.
“From what I understand, China allows crew changes while complying with certain quarantine conditions. But this Jingtang port is not on the list for such crew changes,” added the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.
However, Wang did not refer to the 16 crew from the Caofeidian port. “For more details, you can consult the local and competent authorities,” he said.
“As for whether this has anything to do with bilateral relations, I don’t see any link,” he added.
Relations between India and China are under pressure from the ongoing border clash in eastern Ladakh.
Ties between Australia and China in recent months have sunk after Canberra excluded Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies from its national 5G network over national security concerns. China also resented Canberra’s push for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus in April. Reports from Australia say that China has been restricting a number of Australian exports, including coal.
Last month, China blamed the ship’s freight forwarder Jag Anand for the stalling, saying it will not let the ship go.
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