Last Updated on April 7, 2020
China has reportedly requested coronavirus-overwhelmed Italy to buy back the medical equipment it donated to Beijing at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, reported a White House source, according to The Daily Mail.
Italy, now one of the worst affected countries by the coronavirus, had donated facemasks and other medical equipment to China early in the outbreak, which China is now reportedly selling back to Italy, adding to a growing list of diplomatic faux pas during the global pandemic.
Initially, it had appeared as if China was donating the equipment to Italy to assist them throughout the crisis as they struggled to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But a senior Trump administration official told The Spectator that China forced Italy to buy back the personal protective equipment kits they had originally donated.
“Before the virus hit Europe, Italy sent tons of PPE to China to help China protect its own population,” the administration official explained to The Spectator.
He added, “China then has sent Italian PPE back to Italy — some of it, not even all of it … and charged them for it.”
At least ten countries–sadly, as part of another growing list–have had to recall faulty, defective, or contaminated items sent from China to combat the deadly coronavirus which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and paralyzed many Western economies.
National File reported:
At least ten countries have reported faulty medical equipment arriving from China to combat the deadly coronavirus, which has ground several countries to a standstill.
Earlier last week, it was reported that the UK had returned equipment contaminated with the Covid-19 coronavirus when it was screened by a Luxembourg-based company.
Spain, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy, and Australia had all recalled or seized defective equipment including face masks and inaccurate coronavirus test kits.
Additionally, Turkey and Georgia had also recalled faulty Chinese medical equipment to tackle the spread of the infection.
Ireland’s Conor Macgregor slammed China for sending his country medical gear which failed to meet requirements, calling the situation “truly horrendous.”
Further, the senior administration official said: “It’s so disingenuous for Chinese officials now to say we are the ones who are helping the Italians or we are the ones who are helping the developing world when, in fact, they are the ones who infected all of us.
“Of course they should be helping. They have a special responsibility to help because they are the ones who began the spread of the coronavirus and did not give the information required to the rest of the world to plan accordingly.”
Due to China’s lack of transparency and fudging of vital statistics at the crucial phase of the outbreak, Western countries hesitated in their approach in dealing with the impending crisis.
A United Kingdom think tank has recommended a near $4 trillion reparations package for G7 countries from China to redress the economic damage caused by the pandemic, stemming from Chinese disinformation.
Around fifteen conservative MPs have penned a letter urging parliament to “rethink” their relationship with China following the outbreak.
The official continued, “The disinformation that China has put out is crippling responses around the world. We were a month behind because the Chinese did not share information.
“It’s hard for the world to accept that even the information that they’re putting out now is accurate and acceptable from an epidemiological standpoint. We’re operating on some level with a hand tied behind our back.”
