China's international criticism on Covid toughened its attitude: Foreign Secretary

Anytime you flew out of China during Covid, returning meant a mandatory 21-day quarantine, 21 days of 'vanvaas' every time you visited Delhi for a day

New Delhi: Foreign secretary Vikram Misri has said that international criticism and perceived stigmatisation of China over Covid-19 toughened Beijing's attitude towards the global community, contributing to its harsh response to the outside world and a prolonged, draconian lockdown at home.

Addressing the Iqwat Global Business Conclave, organised by an association of Kashmiri Pandits on Saturday in Mumbai, Misri said China felt that the international community was determined to blame it for the pandemic.\


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"Covid had already created a lot of stress multilaterally, internationally, but also bilaterally because the Chinese felt they were being stigmatised and were being blamed for Covid-19," he said.

Misri said India had never pointed fingers at China over the pandemic, but Beijing believed that the international community was trying to paint it black. "Anytime you flew out of China during Covid, returning meant a mandatory 21-day quarantine, 21 days of 'vanvaas' every time you visited Delhi for a day," he said.

Following the lockdown in China, supply chains of critical items, including industrial goods and other raw materials that originate in China, faced constraints, creating challenges for recipients, including India. Subsequently, China has been weaponising supply chains, impacting global trade and production.

It may be recalled that Misri was India's envoy to Beijing during Covid and Galwan clash of 2020.

Recalling his tenure as India's ambassador to China, Misri said the Galwan crisis in eastern Ladakh posed an unprecedented diplomatic challenge, particularly as it occurred at the height of the pandemic. For the first time in nearly five decades, soldiers on both sides lost their lives along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), he noted.

The situation was further complicated by restrictions on travel and interactions during the pandemic, making it difficult to understand domestic perceptions in China and travel between Beijing and New Delhi.