China will not restrict exports of medical equipment: govt official
China will not limit exports of medical equipment and goods required to combat the global pandemic.
Media sources cited a Chinese government official saying that China will not limit exports of protective gear required to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
China declared last week that it would start checking shipments, amid Western concerns that certain Chinese virus test kits, masks, and other goods did not meet the quality requirements.
U.S. officials have since expressed disappointment with regulatory and other obstacles that American firms face in attempting to export products produced in their Chinese plants and that are considered essential to combating the pandemic.
Gao Feng, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said Beijing has taken measures to speed up customs clearance while maintaining the quality of products exported for disease prevention.
“China has not and will not restrict the export of epidemic prevention materials,” Gao said.
In a call with top Chinese foreign policy advisor Yang Jiechi this week, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasized the importance of promoting exports of medical supplies to meet demand in the United States.
The U.S. ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, said slow down was witnessed in supplying medical supplies that seemed to be induced by China’s introduction of tighter quality standards.
U.S. officials have said some air shipments were disrupted or delayed due to Chinese demands that inbound flight crews checked and cleared for the virus.
Hugo Yon, the senior official in charge of aviation at the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, told that those specific issues appeared to resolve.
