Mexican officials lashed out against the China’s decision to quarantine more than 70 Mexicans over swine flu fears. Mexico sent a plane on Monday to the communist country to bring its citizens back home. China sent its own plane to retrieve Chinese nationals stranded in Mexico.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon complained of a backlash against Mexicans abroad, and sent the chartered plane on Monday morning to fly to several cities and pick up Mexicans who wanted to leave China. In one case, the Mexican ambassador said, a family with three small children were rousted from their hotel before dawn and taken to a hospital.
“I think it’s unfair that because we have been honest and transparent with the world some countries and places are taking repressive and discriminatory measures because of ignorance and disinformation,” Calderon said.
China’s Foreign Ministry denied Mexicans were singled out.