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Chinese middlemen are stockpiling facemasks from Kenya and Tanzania for export to China

Chinese middlemen are stockpiling facemasks from Kenya and Tanzania for export to China

In Nairobi’s Kilimani district the upper floor of a typically quiet medical supply shop is hectic with Chinese customers ordering face masks for export. Employees frantically prove the authenticity of facemasks in a three-part “burn, water and layer” test for clients as they film, sending video evidence in WeChat groups for eager buyers back in China. Containing the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus has been a difficult task for Chinese authorities.