The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada has resulted in desperate calls by medical professionals about a critical shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) - a situation about to be exacerbated by the world's largest manufacturer sharply restricting exports.
Canadian officials said they were notified on March 31 that China - which makes about 50% of the world's face masks, medical goggles, protective gloves and other items - is now restricting exports of PPEs to those made by Chinese manufacturers that have proper certification by the national medical products registry. All such exports, according to the Chinese press release, will be checked at export customs in China to see if the proper paperwork is present.
"Today, the global pandemic continues to show signs of accelerating in its spreading trend," said the statement from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. "Based on the foundation of solidifying [China's] own outbreak response, an orderly development of medical goods exports is an important part of deepening the global cooperative effort to deal with this public health crisis together."
The export certification requirements extend to COVID-19 mainstays like ventilators and infrared thermometers and is active as of April 1.
Experts say that the move likely came as a response to news this week that countries like the Netherlands have recalled 600,000 defective masks made in China. Canada received a donation of supplies, including 30,000 masks and 10,000 goggles, from China on March 28, and officials have said the goods will be tested by Canadian health authorities on the necessary standards.
Nonetheless, the additional red tape, the required inspections at the point of export in China and - most importantly - the limited number of manufactures who have the Chinese national registry certification will all factor in to grind Chinese export of PPEs to Canada to a halt, one trade official working on the procurement process said.
"The first thing that jumped in my head was, was this an April Fool's joke?" said Omar Allam, founder and CEO of trade consultancy Allam Advisory Group, who has been helping Ottawa secure PPE import procurements from Asian markets. "But then, the realization sets in that it really isn't, and it is disappointing because there has been calls from the G20, the World Bank and the WHO, and these new restrictions on medical supply exports could not have come at a worse time."
More to come...
This article originally appeared here.
