Coronavirus: China’s new export restrictions on medical supplies are bad for business and the world, insiders say
- ‘We are very sad that we can’t send [medical] gowns to our clients who are racing to save lives,’ Guangdong factory owner says
- Beijing ruled on Wednesday that only firms licensed to sell medical supplies at home can export them overseas
Companies have described the ruling as unreasonable and appealed for it to be lifted so they can ship their goods – many of which are now stockpiled in factories and at ports – to the places where they are most needed. Meanwhile, foreign buyers are racing to source sufficient stocks from legitimate Chinese suppliers.
China is the world’s largest producer of face masks and protective gowns, and as the coronavirus outbreak has been brought under control at home, so it has been able to export a larger proportion of its output.
As of Saturday, close to 1.1 million people around the world had been infected with the virus, with the death toll edging towards 59,000.
Several trade groups representing medical device manufacturers in the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, have petitioned their local governments and customs agencies to allow them to ship their products to help offset an economic downturn at home, industry insiders said.
