No ‘defective’ coronavirus test kit sent to Bangladesh: Chinese embassy

The Chinese embassy today confirmed that none of the 40,500 test kits sent to Bangladesh are from Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology -- the company which was under question by the Spanish government on Thursday for supplying "faulty" kits.

The statement said: "The test kits provided by China to Bangladesh do not include any product, component or element from Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology Co Ltd. All the medical supplies from China were purchased through standard procedures and from qualified suppliers."

The Spanish government has withdrawn thousands of coronavirus testing kits supplied by the Chinese company Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology from use after it emerged that those had an accurate detection rate of just 30 percent, different media reports.

In the meantime, the Chinese government and Jack Ma, one of the richest persons in Asia and founder of Alibaba Foundation have contributed 40,500 test kits of Covid-19 to Bangladesh.

The Chinese embassy statement said it observed news reports saying test kits bought by Spain from China which were later deemed faulty by the country has also raised some concerns among the people of Bangladesh.

"Shenzhen Bioeasy Biotechnology Co Ltd, the Chinese company in question, has not been granted a seller's permit by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China, nor has it been listed as a qualified supplier of medical equipment by the Ministry of Commerce of China," the statement added.

China will always stand by people of Bangladesh and will continue to offer necessary assistance within their capacity in the fight against Covid-19, it said.

The statement also suggested that all test kits require specific conditions for storage. And testing should be conducted by professionals following strict instructions and user manuals provided by manufacturers.

"The Chinese government and manufacturers will not be responsible for any problem resulting from the mishandling or malpractice in the use of the test kits," said the statement.