Coronavirus: China expands export checks on medical products to tighten quality control

Customs authority announces move after complaints from buyers about substandard products

Despite the hiccups, nations around the world depend on Chinese manufacturers to supply the gear they need to battle Covid-19

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China accounts for about half the global supply of medical face masks, with a daily maximum capacity of about 20 million. Photo: CNS

Published: 10:00pm, 10 Apr 2020Updated: 6:58am, 11 Apr 2020

Ventilators, medical-grade masks and other personal protection gear made in China must undergo government testing and inspection before it can be exported, Beijing announced on Friday in its latest move to control the quality of vital supplies it ships globally to countries battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

The General Administration of Customs said in a statement it had added 11 products to its statutory inspection list, including protective clothing, goggles, disinfectants and infrared thermometers.

As the epidemic has been brought under control within China, the country has been able to shift more of its manufacturing capacity to making goods for export.

The health crisis has so far infected more than 1.5 million people around the world and killed more than 100,000.

China’s Ministry of Commerce said the country had exported more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) worth of medical supplies in the past month. And since the start of April it has been working hard to tighten its export controls.

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