The Chinese government on Tuesday voiced hope that India will carefully decide on whether to return allegedly faulty new coronavirus test kits sourced from China.

"We hope India will deepen communication with relevant Chinese companies and respond in an appropriate manner," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters.

His remarks came after the Indian government said Monday it will return the rapid antibody testing kits, which were procured from two Chinese firms, on the grounds of poor accuracy.

It said quality checks on the kits in field conditions were "found underperforming" and thus the orders were canceled, with no payment obligation on India's part.

The Indian Council of Medical Research, the top agency addressing the virus outbreak, has also urged municipal authorities to stop using the kits, according to local media.

A spokeswoman of China's Embassy in India said in a statement earlier Tuesday, "It is unfair and irresponsible for certain individuals to label Chinese products as 'faulty' and look at issues with pre-emptive prejudice."