India extends helping hand to virus-hit China

New Delhi: Prime minister Narendra Modi has expressed solidarity with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the people of China at a time when Beijing is dealing with a deadly coronavirus outbreak that has claimed 811 lives mostly in China.

In a letter to Xi, Modi condoled death of several people and offered India's assistance to deal with the challenge.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi also conveyed appreciation for the facilitation provided by the Government of China for the evacuation of Indian citizens from the Hubei province of China," a person familiar with the developments said.

China is grappling with a major health crisis seen as more challenging than the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s.

India and China share an uneasy relationship given Beijing's close ties with Pakistan and an unresolved border dispute dating back to 1962.

Last weekend, India had evacuated 647 of its nationals from Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.

According to another person familiar with the development, Beijing did not stand in the way of New Delhi evacuating its people though it would have preferred that India did not move its people out.

There have been 813 deaths reported so far across the world with

more than 37,555 people in 27 countries stricken by the virus including

three in India in barely 40 days.

New Delhi has suspended visas and e visas of all Chinese nationals and those of other nationalities staying in mainland China. These restrictions whoever did not apply to residents of Hong Kong, Indian officials had said.

When asked if India was looking to offer any assistance to China in the wake of the outbreak of the coronavirus, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar had said, "We are of course closely looking at the situation, China is making all efforts to deal with the outbreak. If required, we will be willing to extend all possible assistance to China."