China has never imposed "unofficial ban" on entry of Indian seafarers

In response to Indian media reports on the 25th that China had banned Indian seafarers from entering the country, on July 27, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated that China has never imposed the so-called "unofficial ban". Relevant reports by Indian media are not true. 
 
The Times of India reported on July 25 that a seafarer workers' union has claimed that Indian sailors are losing jobs on China-bound commercial vessels as Beijing has imposed an unofficial ban and is not allowing ships with Indian crew members to berth at Chinese ports.
 
All India Seafarer & General Workers' Union also said "The ban originated in March this year", adding that "21,000 Indian seafarers are facing direct or indirect unemployment."
 
This should be a false message made up by All India seafarer & General Workers' Union.
 
The Times of India subsequently obtained the news after verifying with India's Directorate General of Shipping that it had not received the news of the relevant ban.
 
Sources from India's Ministry of External Affairs also stated that they don't know about the ban.

At Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 27, a reporter from Prasar Bharati asked: "All Indian Seafarers Union has said China has imposed an unofficial ban on commercial vessels with Indian crew. They said that China is not allowing such ships with Indian crew to berth at Chinese ports. This is happening since March. Can you please confirm this? Do you have any response to this? "
 
Zhao Lijian: "We can confirm after verification that China has never imposed the so-called "unofficial ban" you mentioned. Relevant reports by Indian media are not true."
 
India is one of the world's leading sources of seafarers. China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Russia and Ukraine are the world's top five countries in terms of total seafarers (senior and general), according to ICS. In the senior seafarers category, China, the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Russia are the top five countries. There are about 1.647 million seafarers on international trade vessels around the world, of whom about 240,000 are from India.
 
Shipping accounts for about 90% of global trade. China is also a major foreign trade import and export country. The global container and dry bulk shipping market is currently booming. In particular, the shipping industry is facing a serious structural shortage of capacity and freight costs. Under the difficult circumstances, no country or regional government will issue a ban against a certain country's seafarers.
 
Source: Sarah Yu, XINDE MARINE NEWS

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