[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Sunmi Park] China is facing difficulties due to quality degradation issues while conducting 'mask diplomacy,' providing medical supplies for COVID-19 to countries around the world.
On the 30th, China’s Global Times editorial stated, "China, which first controlled COVID-19, has emerged as a major supplier of medical supplies worldwide, but recently, quality degradation issues with Chinese products have surfaced." It mentioned that after Spain, quality controversies over Chinese medical supplies have also arisen in the Netherlands, Turkey, and other countries. It added, "China will conduct a thorough investigation into the problems that have occurred," and "The companies involved will be strictly punished according to the law, and companies will not be allowed to evade responsibility. Exporting high-quality medical supplies is a matter of life and death and is also related to the reputation of China as a whole."
However, the editorial also pointed out that Western media are politically exploiting the quality degradation issues of Chinese medical supplies. The newspaper explained, "In theory, there may be quality issues with medical supplies that China supports and exports worldwide. Because the order volume is so large and the situation urgent, many companies temporarily and suddenly produce medical supplies. Moreover, the quality standards for medical supplies vary from country to country."
It continued, "Some Western media tend to politicize this incident when reporting on it," and advised, "Politicizing this matter harms global cooperation in the fight against COVID-19, so it must be avoided at all costs. The issue should not be exaggerated and must be judged rationally, and especially, public opinion should not be stirred up with the label 'Made in China.'"
The Dutch health authorities announced on the 28th that masks imported from China on the 21st were recalled for failing to meet quality standards to prevent COVID-19 transmission. The masks did not fit the face properly, and defects were found in the filters. The Dutch health authorities plan to conduct special inspections on additional shipments coming from China in the future.
Previously, defective reports of Chinese medical supplies were also received in Spain and Turkey. Spain confirmed that the accuracy of diagnostic kits imported from Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology Co., Ltd. was less than 30%, and has suspended their use and requested the company to replace the products. Turkish authorities also pointed out that COVID-19 diagnostic kits sent from China had a high possibility of false negative diagnoses and that the error margin was too large, resulting in low accuracy. The Philippines also stated that compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) diagnostic kits, Chinese diagnostic kits had only 40% accuracy, and some of the COVID-19 diagnostic kits donated by China were not used due to low accuracy.
Meanwhile, Western countries remain wary of the hidden intentions behind China’s 'mask diplomacy.' So far, China has provided masks and COVID-19 test kits to 83 countries worldwide.
The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) pointed out on the 29th that China’s medical supply support to countries worldwide is causing concern in the West, reporting that "Western critics question whether China is trying to divert attention from the initial cover-up of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan by providing medical supplies." A China expert from the Polish Institute of International Affairs told SCMP that behind China’s support lies a narrative of China’s 'wise leadership and successful political system' overcoming COVID-19. Josep Borrell, the European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also issued warnings about China’s soft power campaign.
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