Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma has expressed relief over the release of 13 of 22 Indian businessmen who were arrested in China last year for allegedly smuggling diamonds.

An official release said in New Delhi yesterday that Commerce and Industry Minister has written to Chinese counterpart conveying the deep appreciation of Indian government.

It said that the minister had strongly raised this issue with Chinese Trade Minister Chen Deming during the meeting of the Joint Economic Group in Beijing on 19 January 2010, a few days after the arrests Nine Indian traders were sentenced by a Chinese court with varied jail terms and fines for smuggling diamonds worth 7.3 million US dollar to the country even as 13 others got a reprieve as they were ordered to be deported.