China denies restricting Indian ship carrying Australian coal from leaving its port

China on Friday denied that it has restricted an Indian ship carrying Australian coal from leaving its port following complaints of inordinate delay in allowing the vessel from unloading cargo leaving its 23-member crew stranded.

The ship, ‘Jag Anand’, carrying an enormous consignment of Australian coal to China has been caught at Jingtang port since June, with the crew members searching for instant aid because the vessel remained within the queue since its arrival.

Their plight has been highlighted by the National Union of Seafarers of India, International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and the International Maritime Organisation, in keeping with a press release by ITF-Asia Pacific Region.

Asked concerning the ship and its stranded crew, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin advised a media briefing right here on Friday that “as far as I understand, this Indian shipping vessel has been berthed near Jingtang port since June”.

“China has never restricted it from leaving. The freight forwarder does not want to adjust the plans for the vessel due to commercial interests which is the real cause of the situation,” he stated.

“The local Chinese authorities have been in close contact with the Indian side and responded to their requests timely,” he stated, including that officers supplied to offer rescue help if there may be any medical emergency.

“When it is indeed in need of urgent rescue or assistance as long as we receive such requests, China will at the earliest time possible carry out rescue or assistance activities while complying with epidemic prevention and control regulations including providing necessary material supplies,” he stated.

Earlier, officers of the Indian Embassy right here stated that since September, the plight of the Indian crew has been taken up with the provincial authorities of Hebei province the place the port is situated.

They stated the Hebei authorities in its response has stated the ship is within the queue for berthing and crew change can’t be allowed resulting from strict protocols associated to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It supplied to offer any medical help to the crew in case of any emergency and said that the vessel can depart if it needs to, they stated, including that the response of the Hebei authorities has been conveyed to the delivery firm. Relations between Australia and China previously few months nose-dived after Canberra barred Chinese telecom large Huawei Technologies from its nationwide 5G community over nationwide safety considerations.

China additionally resented Canberra’s push for a world inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus in April.

Reports from Australia say China has been limiting numerous Australian exports, together with coal.

Apart from this, China seems to have been irked by a regulation handed by Australia in 2018 that banned covert international interference in home politics and made industrial espionage for a international energy against the law.

The legal guidelines offended the nation’s most necessary buying and selling companion, China. Recently, the Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times reported that China had requested merchants to cease shopping for no less than seven classes of Australian merchandise: coal, barley, copper ore and focus, sugar, timber, wine and lobsters.