As India has decided to suspend the use of Covid-19 rapid testing kits and return them to Chinese manufacturing companies, Beijing expressed concerns and hoped that the two companies concerned and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) would resolve the issue reasonably.
China's reaction came after the ICMR asked the states and Union Territories to stop any further use of the kits procured from Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics. In a circular, the ICMR cited wide variations in the performance of the kits to suspend its use.
The council asked the states to return the kits to the Union government, which then will be sent back to the suppliers. According to reports, India procured around 500,000 rapid antibody test kits from the two Chinese firms two weeks ago. Underling that the procurement of the kits from the Chinese companies has been cancelled due to under-performance, the government said no money would be lost as payment was not made to the suppliers.
Reacting to this, the Chines embassy said that their country attached great importance to the quality of exported medical products, and it was irresponsible for certain individuals to label Chinese products as "faulty".
The embassy spokesperson said they were in touch with the ICMR and the two Chinese companies to find out the "real situation". The embassy, however, maintained that China would continue its support to India in the fight against coronavirus. It said that rapid test kits produced by these two Chinese companies were exported to and recognised in Europe, Latin America, and other Asian countries.
Pointing out that there were "strict requirements" for the storage, transportation, and use of the rapid test kits, the spokesperson said that any operation not carried out under the product specifications would lead to the testing accuracy variations.
