A Cambodian soldier carries a box with medical supplies to be used to combat the spread of COVID-19 from a Chinese military plane, at Phnom Penh International Airport on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

China has reiterated strict control over the quality of medical supplies and their exports to better aid the global battle against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the commerce ministry said.

China has always paid close attention to the quality and safety of medical supplies and exercised strict management over related products, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said in a statement on its website, pledging to make careful investigations and tough punishment if any quality issues occur concerning medical supplies exports.

In a move to strengthen quality control, China has asked exporters of medical products including COVID-19 testing kits, medical face masks, medical protective suits, ventilators and infrared thermometers to provide extra documentation when they go through customs clearance.

Starting Wednesday, exporters of these products needed to declare that their products have been officially registered in China and meet the quality-control standards of respective export destinations, according to a MOC notice.

China also hopes that overseas buyers of medical products would purchase from suppliers whose products have been registered with Chinese regulators, verify product quality before bringing them into use, and strictly follow the operation procedures and scope of application, the MOC said.

Registration and approval information of the medical products can be obtained from the website of the National Medical Products Administration, it said, noting that Chinese authorities have granted emergency approval to dozens of COVID-19 testing kits and licensed hundreds of other virus-related medical products.

China is willing to work with the international community to create a good environment for medical supplies exports and support the global battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

China has exported some 2.77 billion items of key medical products for epidemic control and prevention worth 6.29 billion yuan (about 887.53 million US dollars) since March 1, according to the MOC.