China will operate special flights to evacuate its citizens stranded in India and those facing the difficulties of returning to the mainland from June 2, a notice issued by the Chinese embassy said on Monday.
According to the official press release which was in Mandarin, the evacuation services offered by the Chinese government could be availed by international students, tourists and temporary business-visa holders among others who are facing difficulties in India.
China has asked its citizens willing to return to China to register by the morning of May 27.
The notice comes in the midst of a raging Wuhan coronavirus pandemic in India that has so far affected 1.40 lakh people and the rising border tensions with China following the stand-off between the Indian and the Chinese troops in Ladakh.
The notice put out by the Chinese embassy mentions that those taking the flights back to China will have to bear the cost of the tickets and the mandatory 14-day quarantine once they reach Mainland.
“Under the unified arrangement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant departments, the Chinese embassy and Consulates in India will help students, tourists, and temporary businessmen in India who are facing difficulties and are in dire need of returning home to take temporary flights back to China,” the notice said.
The notification also explicitly prohibited those who have tested positive or suspected to have caught the coronavirus or those who exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough to take the flights. Furthermore, close contacts of coronavirus patients whose body temperature surpasses 37.3 degrees centigrade will not be allowed to board the flights. The applicants have been asked to not conceal their medical history.
The notice cautioned the applicants to carefully evaluate and make an informed decision of opting to go back to China, citing India’s anti-epidemic measures which may not allow the Chinese citizens to return to India within a short duration of time.
The evacuation from China comes at a time when the number of Wuhan coronavirus cases in India is steadily on the rise. India was amongst the first countries to arrange the evacuation of more than 700 citizens and foreign nationals stranded in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.
China to evacuate citizens amidst soaring border tensions as a result of expansionist adventurism in Ladakh, India
Border tensions between the two nations have once again reignited after the Chinese troops initiated a scuffle with their Indian counterparts. The stand-off escalated after the Chinese side brought in troops and heavy equipment from a military exercise that was being conducted in the region this week. It is also believed that Chinese troops have also taken up positions along the Pangong Tso Lake and are also carrying out aggressive patrols with motorboats to intimidate Indian forces in the region.
As per the report, the Chinese troops have damaged some temporary structures put up in the finger area near Pangong Tso Lake. At the Galwan flashpoint, Chinese troops have maintained their presence and are being countered by a good number of Indian reinforcements. The face-off position at Galwan was extended by the Chinese to another four kilometres as it was reinforced with additional troops this week.
