A worker directs container hoisting operation at a logistic station in Xinzhu Railway Station in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, March 11, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese protective gear producers, ramping up capacity to meet domestic demand amid the COVID-19 outbreak, plan to tap overseas markets as the pandemic is spreading around the globe, but some list factors like logistics disruptions, slow customs clearance and longer standard certification time may curtail exports.

"As most of the firms have resumed operations in the country, output of protective suits can satisfy home demand, and our company is planning on shifting focus to export to foreign countries that are short of medical supplies," a sales manager surnamed Jiang with a Hefei-based protective suit producer told the Global Times. 

Jiang said that his firm's output of protective clothes has risen to more than 20,000 suits per day from only several hundred previously. 

"We have received orders from Japan, South Korea and Germany, but it still takes some time to go through the export process such as reviewing documents and preparing for certification requirements in the European markets," Jiang said.

Global exporters are required to meet product safety requirements to get a CE certification, which is considered a passport for manufacturers to enter the European market, Jang said.

Despite having CE certification, Hubei-based Jiemei Plastic Product Factory still found it would take more time to complete export procedures. 

"In the early stage of the outbreak, the local government told us to supply the domestic market in advance, and now as the domestic virus epidemic has largely eased, we have started to look into overseas markets," said a company manager who wanted to be anonymous. The firm produces face masks and protective clothing. 

"However, since foreign services have just resumed, the customs process is not as fast as before. Although domestic logistics services have resumed, delivery across the country is not smooth, which brings difficulties for shipping materials, especially in some rural areas," the manager told the Global Times. "It will take another three to five days to get back to normal again." 

He said "there are dozens of inquiries from abroad compared with several in the early days of the outbreak of the virus. Most of the inquiries are from virus-hit countries such as Italy, France and Spain."

China's maximum daily capacity for protective suits reached more than 842,000 and for respirator masks stood at 1.8 million, according to official data released on Thursday.

There is a large gap in global markets for prevention materials such as masks and protective suits. China's Ministry of Commerce said masks belong to free trade products, and the Chinese government has not set in any trade control measures; instead, it will continue to support domestic exporters to offer medical supplies to foreign countries hit by the coronavirus.

Industry data showed that a total of 6,114 respiratory gear producers were newly added from February to mid March in the Chinese market, up 1, 561 percent year-on-year, according to media reports.

There were 1,151 new protective suits makers during the same period, an increase of 2,157 percent on a yearly basis.


Newspaper headline: Logistics disruption hinders China’s exports of medical gear