China mobilizes factories, expands imports of medical supplies

Doctors walk a patient to a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province, central China. /AP Photo

The need for protective suites, medical masks, goggles and other key medical supplies have surged in China as the country continues to deal with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT), responsible for ensuring the availability of these supplies, said it was working to restore domestic production capacity, while importing supplies needed to meet the inflated demand caused by the epidemic.

Though China is the world's largest producer and exporter of masks, accounting for nearly 50 percent of global production, many of the manufacturers had paused production for the Spring Festival.

"As the outbreak spread, the demand for masks exploded. Now even many people in remote rural areas are beginning to wear masks," an MIIT spokesperson said at press conference on Sunday. "If everyone uses masks, which should be replaced every day, it is not surprising that supplies cannot keep up in the short term facing such strong demands."

The MIIT briefed that they are now taking many measures to make sure production companies work overtime to restore capacity. The output has reached more than eight million a day, and the resumed production area has reached 40 percent through this period of efforts.

It also said it was working to get supplies needed from outside China. Japan, the United States and the European Union are key factors in guaranteeing the medical supply.