BEIJING: China will work at top capacity to provide assistance to the international community and further enhance quality control over exports of medical supplies to better aid the global battle against the COVID-19 outbreak, officials said.
Chinese companies had exported epidemic prevention and control goods to 191 countries and regions this year by Saturday. The nation has not and never will restrict exports of medical supplies. It will continue to provide high-quality products to help other countries fight the contagion, said Li Xingqian, director-general of the Ministry of Commerce’s department of foreign trade.
A total of 72 economies and eight international organizations currently are negotiating purchases involving 129 shipments of epidemic prevention materials, Li said. Many countries have praised the quality of goods procured from China, Li added, and the “China restricts exports” narrative reported by certain foreign media is a complete misunderstanding and lacks objectivity.
The General Administration of Customs reported that from March 1 to April 25, China had exported 55 billion yuan ($7.77 billion) worth of epidemic prevention and control supplies, including 21.1 billion masks, 109 million protective gowns, 110,000 patient monitors and 9.29 million infrared thermometers.
The country’s average daily export volume in the category jumped from 1 billion yuan in early April to over 2.5 billion yuan late this month.
To protect the international image of products made in China, the Chinese government has tightened procedures needed to ship medical supplies to the global market and stepped up supervision over exports of nonsurgical masks. They were required to meet the quality standards of either China or their respective export destinations as of Sunday, Li added.
The commerce ministry will confirm the list of qualified mask manufacturers, and the State Administration for Market Regulation will offer a list of substandard products and producers to provide a basis for customs authorities to clear exports, according to a new policy document jointly released on Friday by commerce, market regulation and customs officials.
Exporters of nonsurgical masks should file the joint declaration of the exporter and importer when going through customs clearance to make sure they are up to standard and will not be used for surgical purposes, said Jin Hai, director-general of the customs administration’s department of general operations.
– The Daily Mail-China Daily News exchange item
