Coronavirus: China opts out of summit on migratory species

China has opted out of the 13th Conference of Parties to the Convention of Migratory Species and Wild Animals due to travel restrictions in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, sources said, as the summit got underway here on Monday.

The conference was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to sources, China, which is not a party to the convention, sent an apology for backing out from the conference due to travel restrictions imposed by India in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

China was interested in attending the conference with a big delegation but could not come due to the restrictions, they said.

Besides China, Pakistan, which is a party to the convention among 130 countries, also did not turn up for the conference, sources said.

They said Pakistan has registered for the summit but there is still no word on whether they will attend in the coming days.

The eight-day-long CMS COP 13 is being held in Gandhinagar in Gujarat to engage with countries over conservation of migratory birds, animals and other species.

India was handed over the Presidency of the COP by Phillippines for next three years with Union Minister Prakash Javadekar taking charge as its President.