As Countries Vie for Coronavirus Supplies, Germany Cuts Deal With China

By Bojan Pancevski Updated April 8, 2020 6:03 pm ET

BERLIN—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...

Related link: WSJ - As Countries Vie for Coronavirus Supplies, Germany Cuts Deal With China

Coronavirus: Lufthansa resumes flights to China – to collect tonnes of masks and equipment for Germany

Erik Kirschbaum
Published: 7:01pm, 9 Apr, 2020
Updated: 7:09pm, 9 Apr, 2020

A batch of 8 million protective masks from China being unloaded from a Lufthansa jet in Munich, Germany, this week. Photo: AFP

The German government could send empty Lufthansa passenger jets to Shanghai every day to collect payloads of face masks and medical equipment as part of a Luftbrücke (airlift) to improve the supply chain of urgently needed goods for its battle against the coronavirus.

Recalling the spirit of the historic “airlift” of Allied food and fuel supplies that helped West Berlin overcome the Soviet blockade in 1948/49, Germany is now counting on daily deliveries of 25 tonnes of airfreighted surgical masks and medical garment supplies from China to help it slow the spread of the Covid-19 disease caused by the coronavirus. The virus has already claimed 2,349 lives in Germany and infected 113,296 – making it the world’s fourth most impacted country.

Amid reports of supply chain mayhem and face masks being diverted away from Germany by third parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed in a recent phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping that closer international cooperation was needed, in particular efforts to alleviate supply bottlenecks caused by the rising global demand for protective medical equipment made in China.

“She discussed the global challenges caused by the pandemic in a phone call with Xi,” Demmer said on Wednesday in Berlin. “They were both in agreement that the current crisis can only be resolved through closer international collaboration – such functioning trade.”

Merkel’s call with Xi in late March led to further conversations between respective deputies in each country designed to improve the supply chain to Germany, according to an internal paper for parliament from the German health ministry. Merkel has visited China 12 times during her 15 years as chancellor and Xi has been a frequent guest to Germany. China is Germany’s most important trade partner in the world and Germany is China’s leading trade partner in Europe.

“After the talk between the chancellor and China’s President Xi and subsequent follow-up talks between the Chinese trade ministry and the German health ministry at the start of April, we were able to open direct access to a state producer that has promised a higher level of quality and delivery guarantees,” the paper read.

Merkel and her government have received high marks at home and abroad for their management of the crisis so far. Its mix of early lockdown measures and aggressive testing for the coronavirus has been successful in slowing the spread of the disease – with the doubling rate for new infections now slowing to more than 14 days from just three days – before the lockdown measures were introduced last month.

Germany has also kept the case fatality rate far lower than in most other countries thanks to a combination of factors, including a world-class network of hospitals and health care and its high numbers of intensive care beds.

But Merkel has raised alarm about a worrying shortage of disposal surgical masks and medical gowns as well as N95 respirator masks worn by health professionals – which has emerged as the country’s Achilles’ heel. And China, which according to German media reports has ramped up its production and now makes about 80 per cent of the world’s supplies, is seen as the linchpin.

“We’ve got to get better in resupplying,” Merkel said on Monday. “We’ve made progress on the logistics of face masks but not as much as we’d like. We’ve got to work hard to ensure that our hospitals, doctors, care facilities and handicap facilities have all the protective materials they need so that the staff are really well provided for and not having to get by on a day-to-day basis.”

A batch of 8 million protective masks from China being unloaded from a Lufthansa jet in Munich, Germany, this week. Photo: AFPA batch of 8 million protective masks from China being unloaded from a Lufthansa jet in Munich, Germany, this week. Photo: AFP A batch of 8 million protective masks from China being unloaded from a Lufthansa jet in Munich, Germany, this week. Photo: AFP

The German government could send empty Lufthansa passenger jets to Shanghai every day to collect payloads of face masks and medical equipment as part of a Luftbrücke (airlift) to improve the supply chain of urgently needed goods for its battle against the coronavirus.

Recalling the spirit of the historic “airlift” of Allied food and fuel supplies that helped West Berlin overcome the Soviet blockade in 1948/49, Germany is now counting on daily deliveries of 25 tonnes of airfreighted surgical masks and medical garment supplies from China to help it slow the spread of the Covid-19 disease caused by the coronavirus. The virus has already claimed 2,349 lives in Germany and infected 113,296 – making it the world’s fourth most impacted country.

Amid reports of supply chain mayhem and face masks being diverted away from Germany by third parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed in a recent phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping that closer international cooperation was needed, in particular efforts to alleviate supply bottlenecks caused by the rising global demand for protective medical equipment made in China. German military asked to secure transport of face masks 6 Apr 2020

“She discussed the global challenges caused by the pandemic in a phone call with Xi,” Demmer said on Wednesday in Berlin. “They were both in agreement that the current crisis can only be resolved through closer international collaboration – such functioning trade.”

Merkel’s call with Xi in late March led to further conversations between respective deputies in each country designed to improve the supply chain to Germany, according to an internal paper for parliament from the German health ministry. Merkel has visited China 12 times during her 15 years as chancellor and Xi has been a frequent guest to Germany. China is Germany’s most important trade partner in the world and Germany is China’s leading trade partner in Europe. Some China-made coronavirus test kits and face masks rejected as ‘unreliable’ in European countries

“After the talk between the chancellor and China’s President Xi and subsequent follow-up talks between the Chinese trade ministry and the German health ministry at the start of April, we were able to open direct access to a state producer that has promised a higher level of quality and delivery guarantees,” the paper read.

Merkel and her government have received high marks at home and abroad for their management of the crisis so far. Its mix of early lockdown measures and aggressive testing for the coronavirus has been successful in slowing the spread of the disease – with the doubling rate for new infections now slowing to more than 14 days from just three days – before the lockdown measures were introduced last month. Bow ties to face masks: German firms shift gears in coronavirus crisis 2 Apr 2020

Germany has also kept the case fatality rate far lower than in most other countries thanks to a combination of factors, including a world-class network of hospitals and health care and its high numbers of intensive care beds. Coronavirus Update Get updates direct to your inbox By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy

But Merkel has raised alarm about a worrying shortage of disposal surgical masks and medical gowns as well as N95 respirator masks worn by health professionals – which has emerged as the country’s Achilles’ heel. And China, which according to German media reports has ramped up its production and now makes about 80 per cent of the world’s supplies, is seen as the linchpin.

“We’ve got to get better in resupplying,” Merkel said on Monday. “We’ve made progress on the logistics of face masks but not as much as we’d like. We’ve got to work hard to ensure that our hospitals, doctors, care facilities and handicap facilities have all the protective materials they need so that the staff are really well provided for and not having to get by on a day-to-day basis.”

The federal government will now be acting as a central clearing house for Germany and dealing directly with state suppliers in China, rather than private companies and intermediaries, in order to better ensure the materials reach hospitals and medical staff in Germany. About 85 per cent of the materials flown to Germany will be distributed to the medical community after landing in Frankfurt from Shanghai, and about 15 per cent for use by federal agencies such as police.

Lufthansa, Europe’s largest commercial carrier, will be the primary carrier but the German air force, or Luftwaffe, will also be called in to supplement the commercial flights if necessary. The airline had cancelled all its regularly scheduled flights to China on January 29.

“We’ve now got the capability to send a passenger Lufthansa Airbus with a 25-tonne capacity to Shanghai every day,” a Health Ministry spokesman told South China Morning Post. “And beyond that we have further transportation possibilities through the Defence Ministry. These two possibilities mean that we will be able to react flexibly to the supply streams.”

Neither the Health Ministry spokesman nor a German government official could say whether the pilots would be exempted from quarantine requirements or being tested for the coronavirus before their flights to Shanghai after China implemented more stringent coronavirus testing procedures this month.

Air France has resumed its cargo flights of medical equipment and masks to Shanghai after a brief halt last week when a pilot tested positive for Covid-19 and was kept in observation at a medical centre in China.

A Lufthansa spokesman could not be reached for comment about the health status of its pilots on China-bound flights.