China will provide consular support to Vivo workers who have been detained in India

 China will provide consular support to Vivo workers who have been detained in India

China will provide consular support to Vivo workers who have been detained in India

"We are paying great attention to what you said. At a routine news conference, Mao Ning said, "The Chinese government strongly urges Chinese companies to safeguard their constitutionally protected freedoms and interests."

On December 25, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry announced that China will provide consular protection and support to two Chinese workers of the smartphone manufacturer Vivo who had been detained by Indian authorities. The spokesman also asked India to refrain from showing bias against Chinese businesses.

"We are paying great attention to what you said. At a routine news conference, Mao Ning said, "The Chinese government continues to encourage Chinese companies to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests."

Vivo's India unit's two top workers were detained by India's financial crime-fighting agency last week, and the firm has vowed to defend the decision in court.

A source with intimate knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the two were hauled before a Delhi court on December 23 and were subsequently remanded to the Enforcement Directorate's custody.

The source, who requested not to be identified because they were not permitted to communicate with the media, said that the Vivo employees—whose names Reuters was unable to verify—will appear in court on December 26.

Two months before, in an alleged money laundering case—which Vivo has refuted—the Enforcement Directorate had detained four industry officials, one of whom was a Chinese citizen employed by the company's Indian division.