India-China row over faulty rapid testing kits grew as cancelation news surfaced

Last updated on February 13th, 2023 at 03:55 pm

In mid-April, India imported around one million rapid test kits from China to increase tests since the Covid-19 surge. The initial set of orders arrived a week ago, and after use, there were reports about the malfunction of kits. After ICMR inspected the units, India decided to withdraw the defective kits and cancel the remainder of the order from China, which set off a row between the two countries.

A week ago, when India got the first set of rapid test kits, they were dispatched in many states to speed-up testing. Soon, ICMR began receiving complaints that units that should test for the presence of antibodies against the Covid-19 are not functioning correctly. They quickly sent the specialists team to eight states and began investigating the test kit results.

PM Narendra Modi, after talks with ICMR over the issue, decided to cancel the remaining order from China and also return the procured consignment.

Later the Chinese Embassy responded by denying the charges that the test kits were damaged, expressing the case was uncalled for and untrustworthy. Chinese Embassy spokesperson Ji Rong maintained that their kits met the quality guidelines in China and that India’s National Institute of Virology also found them fit.

The two Chinese companies from which India ordered the rapid testing kits, Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics, issued a ssaying the novel coronavirus rapid testing kits were affirmed by the China Food and Drug Administration and fulfilled the quality guidelines. It had also passed the inspection of the Indian National Virus Research Institute. We hope that India would respect China’s generosity and earnestness, reinforce talks with Chinese companies relied on facts, and resolve it sensibly and appropriately.

Article Credit: India Today/BBC/Times Of India/News 18

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