Commending the Chinese government’s response to the coronavirus, former Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill said that he was thankful the coronavirus outbreak started in China and not somewhere like India.
In an interview with CNBC, he said:
Thank God this didn’t start in somewhere like India, because there’s absolutely no way that the quality of Indian governance could move to react in the way that the Chinese have done.
Praising China’s response to the outbreak, he further said:
That’s the good side of the Chinese model, and I think you could probably say the same about Brazil too.
He also urged other western countries to emulate the model adopted by China.
His comments sparked outrage amongst Indian officials. Responding to his statement, Indian High Commission Minister Vishwesh Negi told CNBC that O’Neill’s comments were “ill-informed and irresponsible.”
As of now, India has 75 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Indian government has suspended all existing visas except for diplomatic and official UN and international organization visits until April 15.
Several states including Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir have shut down schools and colleges till 31st March to prevent the spread of coronavirus. MEA is also taking necessary steps to bring back Indians stranded in other countries.