CHINA / DIPLOMACY
Navarro's coronavirus test kit accusation groundless: Chinese commerce ministry
Published: Apr 29, 2020 12:23 AM

A doctor tests nucleic acid samples at a laboratory department of Shanxi Bethune Hospital in Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi Province. Photo:China News Service


White House adviser Peter Navarro's accusation about coronavirus test kits China sent to the US is groundless and extremely irresponsible, China's commerce ministry said on Tuesday.

Navarro spoke out on Fox and Friends on Monday, accusing China of sending low-quality and even fake test-ing kits to the US. "There's a lot of these antibody tests coming in from China now that are low quality, false readings and things like that."

In a strongly worded statement rarely seen since the landmark phase one trade deal was inked between China and the US, the commerce ministry urged a handful of people in the US to immediately stop making unjusti-fied accusations about Chinese products and trying to discredit China.

"China has maintained good communication and cooperation with certification and registration agencies from across the globe, including the US Food and Drug Administration, to ensure that exports of anti-epidemic items meet quality requirements of importers," the ministry said.

China has exported tens of millions of coronavirus test kits which have received wide acclaim from the inter-national community, per the statement, revealing that China has not yet received any feedback from US pur-chasers and users concerning issues with the quality of the test kits.

The virus is the common enemy of mankind, necessitating efforts from all sides to fight the disease, the minis-try stated, admonishing the US side to focus more on its own anti-pandemic efforts and do more that benefits bilateral cooperation in battling against the pandemic.