China deletes Communist Party post mocking India’s Covid-19 crisis: Message read ‘How China and India light fires’ with pics of rocket launch and funeral pyres
- China has deleted a social media post mocking India’s unfolding Covid-19 crisis
- The since-removed post showed images of a recent rocket launch
- The image was cut with a photo of workers at a mass crematorium in India
- Post by China’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission sparked criticism
China has deleted a Communist Party social media post mocking India’s unfolding Covid-19 crisis, it is understood.
The since-removed post showed an image of a recent rocket launch in China next to what looked to be workers at a mass cremation in India, alongside the words: ‘China lighting a fire versus India lighting a fire.’
The inflammatory post by China’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission sparked online criticism.
The inflammatory post by China’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, pictured above, sparked online criticism
An image of the Tianhe Core Module which was launched into space by China on April 29 were juxtaposed with a photo of what appeared to be workers at a mass outdoor cremation in India.
According to a report in Bloomberg, the image was posted on the commission’s official Weibo account on Saturday.
It was posted with a hashtag noting that new Covid-19 cases in India had surpassed 400,000 a day.
It was removed later in the day, with many social media users in China shocked at the post’s insensitivity.
In response to a request for comment by Bloomberg, China’s foreign ministry said: ‘We hope everyone gives attention to the Chinese government and mainstream public opinion supporting India’s fight against the epidemic.’
The Weibo post came a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the country’s Covid-19 tragedy.
Relatives cremate the body of a person who died due to Covid in Giddenahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India . India reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus infections for a 12th straight day on Monday
India is now reporting a seven-day average of more than 350,000 Covid cases (left), while the average number of deaths over the last week has risen to nearly 3,500 – which most believe is an under-estimate (right)
Mr Xi on Friday said China was willing to provide any additional assistance to India as it battles with a second wave of the virus.
India reported more than 300,000 new coronavirus infections for a 12th straight day on Monday to take its overall number of cases to just shy of 20 million, as scientists predicted a peak in the pandemic in the coming days.
With 368,147 new cases over the past 24 hours, India’s total infections stand at 19.93 million, while total fatalities rose by 3,417 to 218,959, according to health ministry data.
Medical experts say actual numbers across the country of 1.35 billion may be five to 10 times higher than the official tally.