An article in Global Times, a Chinese daily, said the US might not have offered "any substantial assistance" to India during the current second wave of COVID-19 without pressure from China and other countries

An opinion piece in Global Times, a Chinese daily, said India became the victim of United States "selfishness" during the former's fight against COVID-19.

Global Times is considered the mouthpiece of the Chinese government.

The opinion piece said the US might not have offered "any substantial assistance" to India during the current second wave of COVID-19 without pressure from China and other countries.

The US has agreed to send ventilators, therapeutics, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and raw material for COVID-19 vaccines to India to help the country battle the second wave of the pandemic.

The US also eventually agreed to share its entire stock of 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with India and other countries, after completing a safety review.

"The US agreed to help only because it feels that if it does not lend a helping hand, it would lose an important chess piece to contain China, and its self-claimed international credibility and the hegemonic status would be in jeopardy."

"In the face of US indifference and insincerity, India has unfortunately become the victim of US selfishness. Some Indians are calling for India to leave the US-led Quad, whose central objective is to counter China," the opinion piece said.

US media has blamed China for stoking tensions, the opinion piece said, referring to a Bloomberg article titled "China Stokes U.S.-India Tensions Over Biden's Slow Virus Aid"

"But what do US media outlets such as Bloomberg expect from the world when Washington shows startling indifference and inaction when asked for help? The selfishness of the US in the face of a COVID-19 crisis in India is tantamount to a stab in the back of its partner," the Global Times article said.