Foreign press misrepresenting facts on medical exports, ministry says

Foreign reports calling some of the medical supplies exported from China defective are not based on facts, Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday.

Causes for the so-called disqualification are multiple, including the differences between China and foreign countries on quality criteria, using habits and even misuses, Jiang Fan, an official with the ministry's foreign trade department, said at a news conference.

He also updated on the previous reports of "defective" masks purchased by a Dutch agent which later were clarified as not designed for surgical use. On Friday night, Dutch minister of health twitted that new patch of masks imported from China meet the Netherland's official criteria and have been approved to be shipped to hospitals.

China is willing to fight COVID-19 together with other countries, including the Netherlands, through deepened communication and cooperation, ministry said.

Chinese authorities also have adopted stricter measures to ensure the quality of medical supply exports since Wednesday, requiring exporters to provide extra documentation during customs clearance to prove that their products meet the quality standards of importing countries or regions.