China will look into reports of unfit mask exports

China's foreign ministry on Thursday said it would "further verify" reports that Chinese masks bought by Finland were unfit for hospital use, adding that the masks were bought through middlemen.

"The export declaration procedure was performed in the name of non-medical masks," said spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zhao Lijian. "We hope that the outside world will not simply draw conclusions before a thorough investigation."

China is supplying millions of masks and other desperately needed items to struggling governments, hoping to build political ties and defuse criticism that it allowed the disease to spread early on.

But the shipments have hit road bumps, with countries from Turkey to the Netherlands returning masks after deeming them unsuitable.

The Finnish government said Wednesday that two million masks purchased from China were also unsuitable for use in hospitals, calling it a "disappointment".

Also on Thursday, Zhao said that the Chinese government was urging local departments to improve their treatment of foreigners, amid reports that Africans in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou were being harassed, surveilled, and expelled from their residences because of local perceptions that they were spreading the new coronavirus.

"There might be some misunderstandings in the implementation of measures, we attach great importance to this," Zhao said.

"We hope that all foreigners in China will strictly abide by the local epidemic prevention regulations and cooperate with and support China in the epidemic prevention and control."

As of Thursday, China had reported 82,883 COVID-19 cases and 3,339 deaths.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and could lead to death.