![Workers produce face masks to be exported at a factory in Nantong, China, May 14. [STR/AFP]](/cnmi_st/images/2020/06/08/24418-000_1rj9fg-739_416.webp)
The US Justice Department sued a Chinese company for selling nearly a half million fake and substandard N95 masks in April as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world.
In a complaint filed in federal court in New York, the department said on June 5 that Guangdong-based King Year Packaging and Printing shipped three batches of purported N95 masks, needed to protect medical and other personnel from the coronavirus.
The company falsely claimed the 495,200 masks it shipped met the N95 standard and also falsely claimed that the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health had certified them, according to the complaint.
The importer of the masks paid more than $1 million for them.
The incident displays the company's "blatant disregard for safety", said FBI agent Douglas Korneski, who investigated the mask deal.
"Had it not been for the actions of the investigative team, this defendant would have put first responders, hospital employees, and other front line workers directly in harm's way with faulty equipment just to make a buck."
Profits over people
Unfortunately, this is only the latest incident in which the Chinese government or Chinese companies have attempted to profit from exporting faulty medical equipment during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
In Afghanistan, personal protective equipment (PPE) imported from China has put many Afghan doctors at risk, and as of Saturday (June 6), officials say the country is running out of hospital beds as suspected cases of coronavirus surge, warning "there is a disaster coming".
In Pakistan, hospitals are shunning PPE made in China after a series of infections and deaths of health workers treating COVID-19 patients.
In Central Asia, countries are trying to develop their own COVID-19 test kits amid news that similar products made in China have proven to be defective.
Elsewhere, a number of countries -- including Spain, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Croatia and Turkey -- have complained about substandard or faulty medical products shipped from China.
Two million protective masks purchased by Finland turned out to be unsuitable for use in hospitals, the Finnish government said April 8.
Before that, the Dutch government recalled 600,000 masks out of a Chinese shipment of 1.3 million that did not meet quality standards.
Spain rejected thousands of rapid-testing kits sent by an unauthorised Chinese company after it found in April that they were unreliable.
During March alone, China exported 3.86 billion masks, 37.5 million pieces of protective clothing, 16,000 ventilators and 2.84 million COVID-19 testing kits, Chinese customs official Jin Hai said in early April, with orders to more than 50 countries.
Death to the dirty Chinese, as the world was ruined because of these Buddhists.
Reply3 Comment
China is famous in the production of non-standard and fake goods. Now that the world is facing a lack of stuff because of coronavirus, Chinese companies will try to supply tens of tons of non-standard and counterfeit medical devices and equipment to the world markets and make money this way. All countries in the world should boycott Chinese goods and devices and not let China make money by selling non-standard goods.
Reply3 Comment
In the world of postmodernism, personal interests are superior over national interests. In the 21st century, any person can find money by any means that he wants, and it doesn't matter if the personal interests of a person or a country are to the detriment of the interests of other countries. Today, you see that there are big arms production factories in certain countries, and they have to find a market to sell their weapons. You know that market of arms is war that must be launched in countries to find a market for selling the arms. Therefore, the powerful countries of the world create war in the dependent and poor countries, and this way, they sell millions of weapons that are produced in their arms production factories in the countries which are engaged in war. To find a market for medical and non-medical devices and make money, China also created coronavirus to sell its medical and non-medical devices. So in the postmodern world, nothing exists in the name of mercy and a sense of responsibility for people's lives. For a human in the 21st century it is important to find money in whatever way possible.
Reply3 Comment