Billions of face masks sent to China during bushfire crisis

More than two billion face masks sourced from countries around the world including Australia were sent to China at the height of the coronavirus epidemic in Wuhan, according to official figures released by the Chinese customs service.

The call for masks to send to China came as bushfires still ravaged eastern Australia and such masks were in demand by locals struggling with smoke and air pollution.

On February 7, the day Poly appears to have air-freighted a shipment of medical supplies to China, the World Health Organisation expressed concern about the global shortage of Personal Protective Equipment . The previous week the president of the Royal Australian College of GPs, Dr Harry Nespolon, had said doctors were worried about the lack of availability of masks.

“In these rapidly evolving times this situation is now reversed as Australia is in need. Currently we are now focused on helping employees, their families and the broader community here in Australia.”

Very disgusting media, do you think Australia has a billion masks as face masks only two years shelf life. These masks are shipped to China from all over the world.

shut up. it was not during aus conoravirus outbreak.

Wtf.? And they didn’t kno it was spreading? Fcuk we ra bunch of dumbasses!!

I am so sick of this kind of news.If u didnot want to sell,then DO NOT put it in market. U sell,people pay and buy!! Just stop the xenophobia plz

None stop hate against China & the Chinese community here. You are disgusting. How about scrutinising our 'innocent' government for once? It's up to the Australian government to regulate the market. They were well aware & chose to do nothing.

You paper are deflect people’s anger on China, and you are definitely racist. People will not die from the disease,but will die for ignorance and arrogance.

During Australian bushfire, no coronarvirus outbreaks in China. Could you please testify the accuracy of the news

Why not change your name to The Sydney anti-China Morons Herd? Then you will have more subscribers.

Goes to prove that China has become the global enemy. The conduct by those who gave preference to a foreign state over the place they reside and live is an act of terrorism.

So who exactly is in charge of ensuring Australia has sufficient stocks...especially when the extent of the virus was well known...Who?

How funny it is, Australia's news keeps telling old stories happened months ago.

During January when Aussie watching news about chinese suffering from virus, the australian media shown the GOOD Aussie moral quarlity, words in most of news full of Indifferent sneer, sarcasm and look at jokes. They question everythings about how Chinese saving lifes.

Aussie media never tell truth about time line information. After Wuhan has pass the wave and start to back to normal live, that's about 50 says later, late of Feb, China already start to export and donate masks and ventilaters. The Daily masks production is 1, 500million. THINK!

What I know is before the new year. Only China hongkong has the great demand for masks. None requirement from mainland. Chinese shop the masks and sent back to Wuhan only happen in January and early Feb by paying Market price or even higher. Aussie gained great profit.

They exported our masks, now we import their fake ones, great idea all because we didnt ban exports on essential items back then!

there was an outbreak there. i believe they were for medical purpose rather than for dust. now we imported millions of masks from that country. so when some country was in short of medical resources, Australian government should sit there eat bbq and watch them die.

When in the bushfires did our government appeal to the world and ask ex-pats for assistance with sourcing face masks? Kate_McClymont - that would have been a top idea.

Australian government recommand ordinary people and medic not to wear masks

Vermin.

Old news by racist SMH

Stories like this one have ceased to be news. Ceased to shock. This is the new normal.

AmandaPerram Is that why I can't buy face masks None whatsoever !!! I've asked my brother to send me some from overseas ! 😫

were we crying about a shortage during the bushfires?

Would be a breach of foreign ownership laws. They arent allowed to go into another exporting business without foreign invest review board approval. But i highly doubt anything will be done about it.

It's entered the absurd.

Crap. You're completely unreliable

The third time, you bring trends to hate China .I know you get the orders from American. Otherwise,I can not understand you report this for times. Bushfire time, only China need mask, normally export!!

First they give us the Corona Virus & Now they want to Give us dodgy face-masks & faulty equipment, W T F is going on? Australian Border Force seizes dodgy Chinese Coronavirus face-masks & other faulty equipment sold to us by China

Why doesn’t Govt come down on them renounce Australian citizenships as Australia clearlyonly 2nd to China in his loyalty

It also shows that Australian businessmen regard money as more important than Australians. At the same time, why such a large number of exports are not restricted by customs？

While you at it also check on Israel. There are reports that Israel are doing the same thing. They were more concerned about ventilators, presumably masks as well.

As the virus takes over the CCP move on to stage two of their plan.

Jail or deportation, Dutton AusBorderForce?

But Australia is now merely a Colony in the New Chinese Empire. They have bought up Au land, property, industries, & commerce and decanted 1.3 Million of their people to Oz. Get used to their plundering. There'll be lots more of it.

But we have millions of face masks here

It is time Australia puts a blanket ban on all Chinese investment.

And at the time everyone involved, including those in the government would have thought that this was great business. Because no one would have believed what was coming.

What sent to China during the bush fire 😮 surly that's wrong

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

People are 'waking up to the threat posed' by communist China | Sky News AustraliaFormer UK Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith says the communist government in China have a 'strategic view that they need to be in all these [global] markets, and they need to be dominant'.\n\nSir Iain has been one of the most ardent critics of China during this current crisis, and specifically towards their malign influence throughout the globe through - above all - their use of soft power to demonstrate how 'reliant' the world is on their manufacturing and presence.\n\n'All their equipment they are sending to the west is part of the soft power process which is basically saying 'you really are reliant on us''.\n\nTo the chagrin of many in the UK including Sir Iain, the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei will be a key facet of the country's new 5G system.\n\n'People are now beginning to wake up to the threat that is posed to a … democratic, freedom loving country like ourselves,' he said.\n\nSir Iain told Sky News host Peta Credlin the real danger with China's growing global influence is 'when you become so dominated by a country where the is no respect for human rights and no democracy'.\n\nImage: AP Look at the desperate attempt to distract away from the conservative failures 😂. Someone is acting a little scared aren’t we? COVID19au Well put, Peta Our turbines and solar panels are built in China The ABC-er crowd have gone silent over this fact Faking news shame on u sky shit
Source: SkyNewsAust - 🏆 7. / 78 Read more »

Future 'realignment' away from China will see Australia do more business with Taiwan | Sky News AustraliaThe Daily Telegraph's Tim Blair says once the coronavirus crisis subsides 'in the future realignment' away from China, Australia is 'going to have a lot more business to do with places like Taiwan'.\n\nAfter reports in Australia show Australian Border Force personnel seizing 800,000 faulty face masks imported from China, and similar reports of faulty test kits being sent to Spain, Taiwan has emerged as a potential alternative trading partner.\n\nTaiwan will export to Australia 'raw fibre, unwoven fibre, which will use for our future mask needs' in exchange for raw alcohol so Taiwan can produce more hand santiser.\n\nImage: AP Aha , Taiwan!!! good luck. China’s economy is 20x the size of Taiwan, what makes you think we can just swap them over He forgot about our addiction to indirect slave labour...
Source: SkyNewsAust - 🏆 7. / 78 Read more »

There is 'no doubt' Communist China has a biological weapons program | Sky News AustraliaWhile it looks a 'very low' chance the deadly COVID-19 virus was created in a Chinese military laboratory, 'there's absolutely no doubt in my mind China has a biological weapons program,' says the Executive Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Peter Jennings.\n\n'Any biological weapons laboratory would be very disappointed to produce an agent that was going to kill only 1 per cent of the population,' Mr Jennings told Sky News host Andrew Bolt.\n\n'I think it was far more likely to have emerged from one of these 'wet-markets' as a number of coronaviruses have in the past from China'. \n\nHe did say he thought China were operating a biological weapons program and had the capacity to do so. \n\n'It's clear that they have the scientific capability to do this at an extremely advanced way, in a way that only a small number of countries would be able to'. \n\nImage: Getty jez_1985 It came from the lab. wot! And the USA doesn’t? I think it's going to be proven that Covid-19 was either an accident waiting to happen, or something far more sinister. Either way, it didn't spontaneously originate in the wet market. Sure, it got there, but how it got there is the real question.
Source: SkyNewsAust - 🏆 7. / 78 Read more »

NSW Labor leader labels MP's China remarks as 'inappropriate'NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay has criticised one of her MPs for praising China's 'unswerving leadership' in handling the coronavirus crisis, labelling the comments as 'inappropriate' | LisaVisentin LisaVisentin Shows how labor are fascist controlled opposition who are willing to let people die instead of asking for aid from a country they've declared unjust war on for US, who btw have asked China for aid LisaVisentin He was paid to say it LisaVisentin Is this the beginning of the end of Labor's love affair with Communist China & their $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$? auspol
Source: smh - 🏆 6. / 80 Read more »

Trade minister rules out China trade restrictions | Sky News AustraliaTrade Minister Simon Birmingham has played down suggestions Australia should punish China in a trade sense over its handling of the coronavirus. \n\nChina has been accused of covering up the early spread of COVID-19. \n\nBut the minister all but ruled out implementing any kind of trade restrictions, telling Sky News China remains an important trading partner. \n\n“China are a significant and important trading partner,” he said. \n\n'We don’t determine as a government who our farmers sell their goods to, or who our fishermen sell their goods to or who our mining and resources companies sell their goods to.\n\n'What we are seeking to do here is to protect the jobs and the livelihoods of fellow Australians.' Birmo No balls. Birmo Of course not, we should continue to sell off our country to the Chinese until we have nothing left to sell.... Birmo No balls at all, all china’s puppies
Source: SkyNewsAust - 🏆 7. / 78 Read more »

'Dodgy' coronavirus protective equipment from China seized at Australian borderAuthorities are seizing faulty Chinese-made face masks and other protective clothing that's being exported to Australia to help halt the spread of coronavirus. That can’t be no right. China is world leader of quality product for sale in whole world. ccp And Twiggy is bringing more into make a buck off the sick. So glad that Border Control are on to this.... it would be a catastrophe if these had got through and people had thought they were being protected by using them. Good Job!
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »