China has responded to issues regarding the faulty test kits it has sent to other countries after several countries raised doubts about the accuracy of medical supplies imported from China.
Hua Chunying, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said in a press conference on Monday that China is very sincere to help other countries in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Chunying underlined that China has recommended companies who are credible and qualified to produce diagnostic kits for export.
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“Many countries have recently been purchasing medical products in China. While satisfying domestic demands, we support export by companies with qualifications and credibility, and provide convenience in production, transport and customs clearance to facilitate foreign procurement and orderly exporting,” the spokesperson pointed out.
“As far as I know, we haven’t received any complaints from the buyers about the products purchased via the above-mentioned channel,” she added.
The spokesperson cited the case of Slovakia wherein health officials questioned the reliability of the quick coronavirus test kits they had purchased from China.
Chunying said the Chinese embassy in Slovakia immediately contacted the manufacturer in China and initial investigation revealed that Slovak health workers incorrectly used the test kits.
“Slovak medical workers used these antigen test kits incorrectly with a preceding method applicable to nucleic acid testing, which led to the inaccurate results. Our embassy in Slovakia then issued a reminder on the correct use of different testing methods,” she said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also quoted the clarifications of the Philippines’ health department regarding a health official’s remarks on the accuracy of China-provided aid of testing reagents.
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The spokesperson said the Philippines’ Department of Health already issued an apology for the misunderstanding and affirmed that the test kits from China were assessed and to be at par with test kits provided by WHO.
The Foreign Ministry also addressed issues about substandard masks sent to the Netherlands, Chunying refuted earlier reports that the Dutch health Ministry has recalled the face masks and claimed that the ministry is repurposing the face masks.
“The health department is consulting professionals to make sure whether these masks can be used by medical staff with less intensive protection requirements,” she said.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson said the ministry will carry out investigations into any cases with potential quality issues, and vowed zero tolerance on such issues.
