A worker transported boxes of face masks that arrived Sunday from China to Europe at an airport in southern France.
Photo: remy gabalda/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesBERLIN—Germany has struck a deal with China to receive large-scale shipments of supplies the country needs in its battle against the new coronavirus pandemic amid a global crunch in the market for medical equipment.
In a phone call last weekend, Chancellor Angela Merkel made the arrangement with Chinese President Xi Jinping, officials said Wednesday, paving the way for her government to buy what Germany officials say are high-quality gear from Chinese state-controlled manufacturers and other companies with ties to Beijing.
Under the arrangement, which German officials described as an airlift, Germany’s flagship carrier Lufthansa AG will deliver the goods from China, supported if necessary by German air force cargo aircraft, a government spokesman said. A first shipment of over eight million face masks arrived in Munich on Tuesday. By the end of the week, over 40 million masks are slated to arrive in Germany, with deliveries expected daily along with other needed gear. Officials didn’t disclose a price.
“This is a supply chain that will not break in this emergency,” said the spokesman, adding that the initial deal related to protective equipment such as masks, but could be extended to other medical equipment if needed.
China, where the pandemic originated, was itself importing medical equipment needed to tackle the disease initially. But since it brought the spread under control it has started to export the equipment.
Meanwhile, Germany has been facing an acute shortage of protective equipment for health care workers, thousands of whom have been infected by the virus in recent weeks.
Reiner Breul, spokesman of the German Foreign Ministry, said the deal will allow Berlin to “reach for the phone in order to provide political backing for a continued international trade” in the medical supplies.
Bavarian State Premier Markus Söeder stood beside the first batch of 8 million protective masks being unloaded from a Lufthansa airplane, having arrived from Shanghai, at Munich Airport on Tuesday.
Photo: christof stache/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesGermany had nearly 110,000 coronavirus infections and 2,096 confirmed deaths by Wednesday afternoon of Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
The development comes amid a struggle by Germany and other countries to purchase masks and other gear on the market, causing friction among erstwhile allies as authorities around the world race to equip hospitals straining under a surge of Covid-19 patients.
Officials in Germany and France have accused the U.S. of securing equipment earmarked for other buyers by outbidding original purchasers, allegations that the U.S. denies.
As the pandemic spreads across the globe, more nations have turned to China, a key manufacturer of medical equipment such as masks and ventilators.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised the Chinese government on Saturday for sending 1,000 ventilators to his pandemic-stricken state. The breathing aid devices can save the lives of critically ill patients.
China also sent similar shipments, some in the form of humanitarian aid, to European nations that are worst-affected by the epidemic, such as Italy and Spain.
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At the same time, a number of European governments complained that medical equipment they had bought from Chinese companies, including testing kits and masks, was defective. Last month, the Dutch government recalled 600,000 face masks procured from China for front line medics because of faulty filters.
Following Ms. Merkel’s call with Mr. Xi, the Chinese government provided Germany with a list of reliable manufacturers that could offer top-quality supplies, the German government spokesman said.
German industry representatives, who have vast commercial interests in China, have been recruited by the government to help with the operation, with Beijing facilitating the purchases and insuring timely deliveries, the German spokesman said.
Some Western authorities have raised concerns that China will use the pandemic to advance its soft power at a time when the West is vulnerable. Indeed, the EU’s chief diplomat warned European nations late last month against what he called China’s politics of generosity.
“China is aggressively pushing the message that, unlike the U.S., it is a responsible and reliable partner,” Josep Borell, a Spaniard, said in a statement on March 24.
Write to Bojan Pancevski at bojan.pancevski@wsj.com
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