Chinese airlines agree to resume drug imports to India

Providing major relief to the Indian pharmaceutical sector, the Chinese authorities have agreed to resume the suspended air cargo operations to help India import vital key starting material (KSMs) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with over two-thirds of dependence on China.

A week after the Chinese state-owned Sichuan Airlines announced suspending its air cargo services to India for 15 days following the second wave of Covid-19, the Indian authorities have reached out to the Chinese authorities seeking to help avert a major supply chain disruption of essential medicines during the pandemic.