📡Guardians of Hong Kong
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We provide translation of news in English from local media and other sources, for academic use.
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China raises export requirements for medical supplies. Over 1 million RMB worth of PPE delayed at customs.
Ministry of Commerce researcher states, "This is in answer foreign intentions. We will see the consequences in the EU and US in a week"


(1 Apr) China's medical supplies exports received international criticism for its low quality. The Ministry of Commerce reacted by increasing the requirements for export. Starting from 1 April, all businesses must obtain registration certificates for exporting medical supplies. This includes testing kits and face masks.

Compared to previous requirements of only obtaining FDA certification from the US or CE certification from the EU, the new conditions for export are more stringent.

A businessman who manufactures PPE in Shandong said that he has over 1 mil RMB worth of PPE currently held in customs. He expects the inspection report to take 10 to 15 days, after which he can ship the goods. However, it will have already violated some terms in the contracts between him and his foreign buyers.

He believes that due to the previous lack of monitoring and quality control, the government is now responding to international criticism with the new rules, "We (China) used to export to America and Europe with FDA and CE (certifications). But after obtaining these certifications, some manufacturers went on to create products below certification standards."

Mei Xinyu, a Ministry of Commerce researcher, stressed that raising export requirements was in answer to international intentions and a self-defence mechanism. "You [US and EU] did not use our products according to instructions. Without even checking them yourselves, you blame Chinese products for everything. We want to use China’s production capability to save lives and do good. We have no interest in being smeared for helping others. Per your request, we are tightening our controls (to export requirements)."

He added, "In a week, let's see what consequences you people in the EU and US will face for airing your troublesome opinions. The Chinese government puts the lives of Chinese people first. Yet, in the EU and US, politicians, media and public opinion simply disregard the lives of their people. Then, you want to talk about human rights issues in China. Just shut your mouths!"

#MedicalSuppliesExport
#IcabelChinaGroup

Source: Icable News
https://bit.ly/2RcfGSk

#China #MedicalSupplies #Quality #Masks #TestKits
Study on face masks and their use against transmission of coronavirus

There has been an ongoing dispute over whether the public should wear face masks to protect against COVID-19 transmission. The uncertainty was manifested by conflicting advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and experts globally over wearing masks.

Very little is known about the efficacy of surgical face masks against COVID-19 transmission. Currently, most studies on surgical masks measure the efficacy of virus filtering of non-biological particles. Moreover, they focus mainly on influenza virus instead of coronavirus.

Such shortcomings were addressed in a recent publication in Nature Magazine, where researchers from the University of Hong Kong measured the efficacy of surgical face masks against the transmission of seasonal coronavirus, influenza virus and rhinoviruses. All measurements were taken from respiratory droplets and aerosols of symptomatic patients.

The results showed surgical face masks reduced the transmission of coronavirus and influenza virus. In particular, the study detected a reduction of coronavirus RNA from patients' respiratory droplets and aerosols. While the study focused on coronavirus strains other than COVID-19, the results suggested the potential of face masks at reducing COVID-19 transmission.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0843-2

#Masks #HKU
#Newspaper

China Isn’t Helping Italy. It’s Waging Information Warfare

//Italy is an ideal outpost for China’s wide-reaching propaganda effort to cover up its own responsibility for the global spread of the new coronavirus, all the while presenting itself as a compassionate power aiding Western countries in need.

//The government has been pursuing a two-pronged strategy that carefully combines sending medical supplies to assert its relevance in a leaderless world—call it mask diplomacy—while at the same time spreading conspiracy theories to conceal the true origin of the virus. In this “global battle of narratives,”

//it’s also led by a government coalition that includes the Five Star Movement, a Euroskeptic and increasingly pro-Chinese party that has for years relentlessly promoted a stronger relationship with Beijing while downplaying the traditional trans-Atlantic alliance and fueling suspicion toward NATO

//Recently, China’s state media outlets suggested the new coronavirus originated in Italy, not in Wuhan, by shrewdly twisting the words of the Italian physician Giuseppe Remuzzi

//it was part of a commercial deal formalized a few days before in a phone call between the foreign ministers of China and Italy, Luigi di Maio and Wang Yi. Italy was buying medical equipment from China, but the government took advantage of a parallel donation made by China’s Red Cross to make it look like an instance of its “politics of generosity.”

//selectively praising China’s generous efforts while downplaying the belated solidarity coming from EU members

//If the Chinese government knew [about the virus] and didn’t tell it publicly, it committed a crime against humanity

//The Five Star Movement has long been a hotbed for conspiracy theories and fake news

//France and Germany combined have now donated more masks to Italy than China, and Austria contributed 1.6 million more. German hospitals are taking care of some patients from Italy, while France donated 200,000 protective suits.

Source: FP, (31-Mar)
https://bit.ly/3bVxn08

Further reading:
Italy is ranked as the country with the most rapid spread of Covid-19 outside of China.
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/19303

#Italy #China #ChinesePropaganda #France #Germany #Austria #Masks #Donation #OneBeltOneRoad #MaskDiplomacy
#Newspaper

Chinese manufacturer threatened to sell fake infrared thermometers to harm the Americans but later apologised for it's “patriotic act”

(30 Mar) The quality of the Chinese made medical supplies are in great doubt. Days ago, some Chinese manufacturers claimed to manufacture fake infrared thermometers and sell them to the United States, so the Americans cannot test their temperate accurately. The manufacturer said that they did it out of “patriotism”. Researchers found that in the last few months, the Chinese government has stirred up many public opinions, and nationalism has become part of the preventive measures. Some mainland Chinese residents said that many businessmen cashed in on the pandemic and made huge amount of money during the suffering of the nation. They took advantage of the epidemic, and that many medical supplies are fake with bad qualities.

//Many countries have found quality issues in the medical supplies from China.

//Through shifting the blame or speaking about nationalism, it resolves some pressure for the authority. “

I believe the authority pushes theses nationalistic thoughts among citizens, and it actually boosted the world’s distrust and suspicion on China. The “made in China” tag, the sincerity of donating face masks, etc, all these diplomatic moves have casted doubts on China's purposes.

//there are many other medical supplies without any certifications.

Full translation:
https://telegra.ph/Chinese-manufacturer-threatened-to-sell-fake-infrared-thermometers-to-harm-the-Americans-but-later-apologised-for-its-patriotic--04-14

Source: Rfa
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/cn-fake-03302020093609.html

Further reading:
Thermometer Only Gives Reading Below 37°C, Thai Police Arrest Chinese Smugglers of Fake Thermometer and COVID19 Test Kits
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/1948

#Patriotism #Nationalism #Masks #InfraredThermometer #Holland #Fake #MedicalSupplies #ZhangXuandong #MotherYangCongeeRestaurant
#Newspaper

Finland's Emergency Supply Agency Head Quits Over Face Mask Purchase

// The Finnish government said on Friday it has accepted the resignation of the head of the country's emergency supply agency over a multi-million euro purchase of Chinese face masks that proved unsuitable for hospital use.

// The National Emergency Supply Centre had paid two Finnish agents a combined 10 million euros ($11 million) for face mask deliveries from China.

//The delivery that arrived from China on Tuesday was meant to contain 2 million surgical masks and 230,000 other face masks.

//But the masks were quickly found not to be suitable for hospital use due to their low quality

//the first delivery of masks were bought via an agent who previously ran a short-term loan business and who faces court orders for debts.

Source: NYTimes, (10-Apr)
https://nyti.ms/3cqkQCo

Further reading:
Thermometer Only Gives Reading Below 37°C, Thai Police Arrest Chinese Smugglers of Fake Thermometer and COVID19 Test Kits
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/19480
China raises export requirements for medical supplies. Over 1 million RMB worth of PPE delayed at customs
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/19304
Several Countries Report Incorrect Results From China's COVID-19 Test Kits; Beijing: Chinese Test Kits are of Good Quality
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/19062
Czech Republic finds 150,000 rapid coronavirus test kits recieved from China have an 80% error rate, returns to laboratory testing
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/19058
Some coronavirus test kits shipped to states are not working as expected, the CDC says
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/17293

#Finland #Masks #Purchase #China #Unusable #MadeInChina
#Newspaper #OpinionArticle

Reflections from the virus crisis: Should the world take "cost" as the sole consideration for manufacturing?

(7 Apr) Many country relies heavily on manufacturing in China. When a crisis arises, huge demand of products is created. Country with enormous manufacturing capability has the power to make decisions.

Crisis creates opportunity. I believe that after this time, the world will hold a different view!

After the Netherlands and Spain, the medical-grade masks shipped by Austrian Airlines at the end of March are completely unusable.

After a review, the Ministry of Economic Affairs stated that the masks provided to South Tyrolean did not meet FFP standards. At present, the Austrian army has taken over the logistics of these masks.

Following the criticisms of the Netherlands and Spain on the poor quality of the protective equipment produced in China, South Tyrolean is also experiencing the same situation. The Ministry of Economy confirmed in Vienna that the large number of FFP2 and FFP3 masks that will be shipped to South Tyrolean are not usable. Initially, these masks were ordered from China through a sporting goods company and shipped by a private plane of Austrian Airlines.

In addition to the masks, 400,000 sets of protective clothing were transported to the Vienna International Airport. When the Red Cross carried out a visual inspection of masks at the airport, they were shocked. Later when the Ministry of Economy sent the items to the German laboratory for examination, the results showed that they did not meet the FFP standards.

Austrian Minister of Economy Margarete Schramböck (ÖVP) also criticized publicly at a press conference that nine out of ten medical
masks provided by international suppliers were unusable. Fortunately, a consortium of Vorarlberger has invested in the manufacture of masks. If there are enough tailors, they will be able to produce 500,000 masks per day. This is not an unachievable target. Up to now, there are 1,700 tailors. You just have to find 700 more.

#RelyOnYourselfIsTheMostReliable

Source: Facebook
https://bit.ly/3brvjNy

Further reading:
Chinese manufacturer threatened to sell fake infrared thermometers to harm the Americans but later apologised for it's “patriotic act”
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/19516

#MedicalSupplies #Masks #ProtectiveClothing #Austria #Netherlands #Spain #Unusable #MadeInChina
#Speech
Taiwan is a true friend for Europe and the World
Stephane Corcuff, a scholar at the Lyon School of Political Science in France, posted a video on Facebook on the 8 April, emphasizing that Taiwan unconditionally donates masks to European countries without diplomatic relations and is a true friend of Europe. He called on the government to give a helping hand to Taiwan, not to let her to face China's suppression alone.

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️Watch
https://youtu.be/EIystnbG9T0

Further reading:
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro calls WHO chief one of China's 'proxies' at the UN
https://www.foxnews.com/media/peter-navarro-china-who-tedros-proxy

#France #Taiwan #Masks #Donation #China #CCP #Deal #Pandemic #Friend #Europe
#Newspaper

German Government Spokespersons’s Reponse to Taiwan’s Mask Donation

//German government spokespersons unable to say Thank You to Taiwan for donating 1 mio. masks. Shameful.//
=========================

Für Taiwans 1-Mio-Masken-Spende sagt Regierungssprecher Seibert nicht nur nicht Danke, er bringt nicht mal das Wort "Taiwan" über die Lippen.
Das ist eine Steilvorlage für Bundestagsabgeordnete (und Medien), die das auch peinlich finden.

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️Watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QALfB04bjio&feature=youtu.be

Source:
TaiwanReporter, (15-Apr)

#Germany #Taiwan #Masks #Donation
#Newspaper

Poor quality masks from Mainland China flood Hong Kong as overseas manufactured goods. Mainland China manufacturer: You can print anything on the box

(10 Apr) Many countries banned the export of masks last month. The Korean KF-94 and made-in-Japan masks Hongkongers have been fighting for are becoming scarce. On the contrary, since the export of masks resumed in Mainland China in the same month, Hong Kong local media Apple Daily inspected pharmacies in different districts and found large number of masks claiming to be imported from America, Japan and Indonesia etc. The supply of these masks appeared to be stable. However, the origin labels on these masks were unclear, and the pharmacy staffs revealed that they were all made in China. The journalist randomly selected 5 boxes at the pharmacy, and after testing, 4 boxes were found to have varying qualities and are unsuitable for use in crowded space and public transport. An agent admitted that the boxes were deliberately printed with Japanese to “let people have the misconception (that they are made in Japan)”, but in fact, the masks were collected from China through distributors.

China is the “global mask factory”, and since COVID-19 hits Europe and America last month, there has been a surge in the number of mask factories in Mainland China. According to statistics from the Mainland China, as of 22 March, there are about 52,000 mask factories nationwide, which recorded a sharp increase of 6,000 compared to February, and a 16-fold increase over the same period last year, of which over 17,000 have import and export businesses and were competing to export masks for profit. However, the mask qualities have been repeatedly criticized by the international communities for being substandard and useless in combating the virus. The Netherlands and Australia have returned 600,000 and 800,000 masks from China respectively. The situation raises concerns on the quality of masks made in China.

Full translation:
https://telegra.ph/Poor-quality-masks-from-Mainland-China-flood-Hong-Kong-as-overseas-manufactured-goods-Mainland-China-manufacturer-You-can-print--04-18

Source: Apple Daily
https://bit.ly/2RKip5C

#Masks #China #MadeInChina #Fake #PoorQuality
#Interview #LiYi #LeeYee

83-year-old Li Yi: I don’t have long to live, but I believe Hong Kong young people have wisdom beyond imagination 5/6

▶️ Part 4

Was the police like this before?

"The police used to be..hmm...Since the establishment of the ICAC, the image of the police had really changed. I really don’t know what happened lately. I can’t say that there aren’t any good people at all. 5-6 years ago, I once left a bag on a taxi. There were thousands of dollars in the bag. I went home, and my domestic helper told me that the police made a call and said the driver brought my wallet to the police. I thanked the driver and I went to the Central Police Station. The police took my things out and counted them for me. They were very professional and humane. I was very impressed. For example, they said, ‘don’t count the banknotes in the public as others will see them.’ Then, they gave me a room to spread the bills open and count one by one, so I could check if everything was there. The things were done in a very orderly way, they were doing their job to helped me ... there will always be good ones left, but now there is a grouping effect, and good things will disappear. When everyone is together, they influence each other. If you don't follow the others, you look bad in the group. It seems that in Chris Tang Ping-keung’s dinner earlier, if you didn’t sing and laugh along, you were the odd one. In fact, not everyone necessarily wants to participate. This is the case. Due to such effect It's hard to say if there is any good person. This may be the biggest tragedy of Hong Kong. It is because police officers are public servants whom everyone has the most contact with. When there is an incident, such as domestic violence, you call the police. Police is important for the society to run. Now the police is behaving in such way, this really brings a lot of damages (to the society). "

//we must adhere to our original values, to fight continuously, in various forms, on various fronts.

//only a small group of Hong Kong people are infected. It is out of everyone’s expectation. The self-protection awareness of Hong Kong people is hardly seen in the rest of the world. Everyone is wearing a mask now.

//Hong Kong has its own quality.

//Hong Kong is the most civilised place in the world. The quality of Hong Kong people is also the best in the world, be it about the communication with foreigners, the integration with the world, and people’s kindness to others.

//our international contacts and mobility are beyond everyone ’s imagination.

//It’s not that Chinese don’t speak good English, but they don’t speak like us.

//How can you be ‘Chinese’? How can we be ‘Chinese’? We just need to be ourselves, we just need to be a human being and then that will be good enough"

Continue reading:
https://telegra.ph/Was-the-police-like-this-before-04-22

To be continued

Source: Stand News, (25-Feb)
https://bit.ly/3aARccx

#AnsonChan #DeniseHo #JoshuaWong #BrianLeung #Taiwan #1997Handover #CivilServants #Masks #LowestBidWin #FreeWill #HKPF #FailedState #SelfHelp
#Newspaper

Canada says 1 million masks purchased from China unusable

//The Canadian government said Friday that one million KN95 masks imported from China did not meet its strict standards and so could not be distributed to frontline health workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

//The relationship between Ottawa and Beijing has been on the rocks ever since the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, an executive at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, in December 2018 in Vancouver.

//In early April, Canada received deliveries of more than 10 million masks and announced total orders for more than 60 million more N95 masks.

Full article: Free Malaysia Today, (25 Apr)

Further reading:
Finland's Emergency Supply Agency Head Quits Over Face Mask Purchase
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/19573

#Canada #Coronavirus #Masks #KN95 #ChinaLiedPeopleDied #Unusable #MadeInChina
#NetizensVoice

Counterfeit masks discovered in Japan

(23 Apr) Japan has recently discovered masks made in China with questionable source.

There is a way to identify these marks - the certification marks of the Japan Hygiene Products Industry Association on them were printed in simplified Chinese.

Even though the description on the package claims these masks are virus-proof, they fail to reach certification standard yet they are still available in the market.

Many Japanese on Twitter were not surprised by such discovery.

Source: Twitter
https://twitter.com/coronainfo5/status/1253282109998813184

#Masks #Japan #SimplifedChinese #Counterfeits
#Newspaper

Chinese counterfeits of "Made In Taiwan" masks appear in Japan. Offers no protection against coronavirus.
 
(22 Apr)Recently, some Japan-based Taiwanese netizens have discovered many masks embossed with “Made in Taiwan” (MIT) in Japan, claiming to be from Taiwan. However, these masks are not only labelled to be originating from China, but the attached inspection certificate was also issued by China. In addition, Taiwan has banned the export of masks until the end of June, the masks sent to Japan were all "donated" and only provided to frontline medics. It’s obvious that these “MIT” masks did not come from Taiwan.
 
Moreover, since these "Made in China masks" are not medical masks, they offer no protection against coronavirus and can only block pollen and dust.

Source: The Liberty Times
https://bit.ly/35gEBtx

#Japan #Masks #counterfeits #MadeInChina #Taiwan
#Newspaper

Germany received 11 million defective or failed Chinese face masks

//the masks that arrived from China turned out to be “rubbish”, according to the German newspaper Der Spiegel... the chinstrap arrived with the filters in poor condition and with the broken tapes. “All Trash,” the source told the over 11 million masks.

//Germany thus joins the long list of scams. Yesterday, the Canadian Department of Health revealed that one million KN95 masks purchased from China were found to be defective. They do not meet federal quality standards for use against coronavirus, and therefore were not distributed among healthcare personnel.

//Since March 1, the Asian giant has exported to 3.8 countries of 3,860 million masks, 37.5 million protective suits, 16,000 respirators and 2.84 million diagnostic kits.

//However, almost two months later, complaints from different countries about the quality of products grow.
Holland is another country that integrates that list. On March 28, he denounced that 600,000 masks did not meet quality standards.

Full article: Archyworldys, (27 Apr)

#Germany #Spain #Holland #Coronavirus #Defective #Masks #MadeInChina
#Newspaper

The Taiwan government starts a campaign inviting citizens to donate face mask quota and ‘send face masks which can be bought but not bought ’ to other countries as part of Taiwan's response to global humanitarian aids

(28 Apr) In order to make it easy for Taiwan citizens to participate, Taiwan government develops a simply to respond by action 4 steps app.Taiwan has not recorded any new case in 16 consecutive days. Taiwan's successful model has attracted international attention. Its Public Health and Welfare Ministry had a teleconference with his counterpart in USA Alex Azar II sharing information about COVID-19 and Taiwan's experience in controlling the pandemics.

Source: Tsai Ing-Wen Facebook
https://bit.ly/3fmQXVC

Further reading:
Taiwan envoy to DC confronts WHO officials over island’s exclusion
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3924855

#Taiwan #Coronavirus #Masks #Taiwancanhelp
Carrie Lam the sloth failed to distribute masks to Hong Kong citizens until after the number of infections has increased exponentially in 3 months’ time

#CarrieLam #Masks #FailedState
#Masks #CoronavirusPandemic
Hong Kong government prepares to distribute masks

The government plans to distribute reuseable "CuMasks" developed locally in Hong Kong, but no prior bidding took place and manufacturers and sources of materials were not disclosed.

The Secretary for Innovation and Technology explained that the coronavirus pandemic will still be very serious in the coming days, and the population should still be vigilant and masks are the key materials for the global pandemic and manufacturers, raw materials, and logistics are sensitive information and may cause issues if leaked, such as the masks being confiscated, the materials running out, suppliers jacking up prices and other issues affecting production could arise.

Source: Stand News
#Newspaper

DELVE group publishes evidence paper on the use of face masks in tackling Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

//Venki Ramakrishnan, Chair of the DELVE committee said; “While social distancing and  maintaining hygiene, such as washing hands, remain of prime importance to reducing transmission, the evidence shows that, if used widely and correctly, face masks, including home-made cloth masks, can help to reduce viral transmission in situations where social distancing is difficult to maintain consistently. Such situations include busy public transport, shopping and other potentially crowded public or workspaces.

//“Many people may have the virus before symptoms kick in and some people will carry the virus without even knowing it.  Every time they cough, sneeze, talk or even breathe, they are spreading droplets containing the virus.  Covering your face can reduce the risk of infecting others but we emphasise that this is an added tool to bring down the infection rate, and not a replacement for handwashing and social distancing.”

//Key points in the paper include:
Asymptomatic (including presymptomatic) infected individuals are infectious. Without mitigation, the current estimate is that 40%-80% of infections occur from individuals without symptoms.
Droplets from infected individuals are a major mode of transmission. Droplets do not only come from coughing or sneezing: in a/presymptomatic individuals, droplets are generated via talking and breathing.
Face masks reduce droplet dispersal. Cloth-based face masks reduce emission of particles by variable amounts

//DELVE’s report states that the evidence supports the conclusion that widespread face mask adoption in situations where social distancing is difficult to maintain consistently can help to control the Covid-19 epidemic by reducing the shedding of droplets into the environment from asymptomatic individuals. This is consistent with the experiences of countries that have adopted it. 

Full article: The Royal Society, (4 May)

#Masks #Coronavirus #DELVE
⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️
Continue reading


Suomenmaa, a Finnish newspaper, reported on 30 June that Mikko Kärnä, chairman of the Finnish Parliament’s Finland-Taiwan relations group, commended the high quality level of the donated masks from Taiwan.  According to the laboratory report by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the made-in-Taiwan masks were of top quality with filtration rate of over 99.7%.  The masks were subsequently distributed to medical facilities in northern Finland.  Kärnä expressed his deep gratitude towards Taiwan for the donation. 
 
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is an industrial research institution responsible for testing the quality of imported masks during the pandemic.  According to Finnish government regulations, only those masks that pass their quality inspection tests are provided to their medical staff. 
 
Taiwan’s representative in Finland, Zhang XiuZhen, shared her delight in the lab results, which showed the excellent quality and reliability of made-in-Taiwan products.  She was glad to hear that the medical supplies donated by the Taiwanese government were effective in helping other countries fight the pandemic. 
 
At the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in Finland, the Finnish government purchased 2 million surgical masks and 230,000 protective masks from China.  However, lab results revealed that these made-in-China masks did not meet the standard for hospital use.  

According to Finnish National Broadcasting Company, the director of the Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency, Tomi Lounema, admitted spending over 10 million Euros in procurement, but the contracts either failed to deliver or resulted in supplying sub-quality masks unsuitable for hospital use.  Lounema had since resigned in April.  Finnish Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, said at the time that she lost faith in Lounema’s ability to manage the National Emergency Supply Agency.
 
Source: Apple Daily

#Taiwan #Masks #Finland
What kind of mask do you need during COVID19 outbreak?

#Masks #Covid19 #StaySafe