China seizes more than 89 million shoddy face masks

BEIJING: China has confiscated more than 89 million poor quality face masks, a government official said on Sunday (Apr 26), as Beijing faces a slew of complaints about faulty protective gear exported worldwide.

Demand for protective equipment has soared as nations across the globe battle the deadly coronavirus, which has infected nearly 2.9 million people.

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But a number of countries have complained about faulty masks and other products exported by China, mostly for use by medical workers and vulnerable groups.

As of Friday, China's market regulators had inspected nearly 16 million businesses and seized more than 89 million masks and 418,000 pieces of protective gear, said Gan Lin, deputy director of the State Administration of Market Regulation, at a press conference.

READ: China reports 11 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths on Saturday

Regulators had also seized ineffective disinfectants worth over 7.6 million yuan (US$1.1 million), she said.

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It is unclear how much of the confiscated goods were destined for markets abroad.

In a bid to eliminate poor-quality products, China released new rules on Saturday saying even non-medical masks must meet both national and international quality standards.

Exporters must file a written declaration that their medical products meet the safety requirements of the destination country, the ministry of commerce said in a statement.

The tighter rules come after several countries including Spain, the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Turkey were forced to recall hundreds of thousands of shoddy masks and pieces of protective gear imported from China.

READ: China eases restrictions on exports of some coronavirus equipment

The Canadian government said last week that about one million face masks purchased from China failed to meet proper standards for healthcare professionals.

Dutch health officials last month recalled over half a million Chinese masks – which had already been sent to hospitals – after complaints that they did not close over the face properly, or had defective filters.

According to official figures, China's daily mask production has passed 116 million.

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