Coronavirus: China’s mask-making juggernaut cranks into gear, sparking fears of over-reliance on world’s workshop

The Liu family factory has been making diapers and baby products in the Chinese city of Quanzhou for over 10 years, but in February, for the first time, it started making face masks, as demand soared spectacularly due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The business – which employs 100 people in the Southeastern Fujian province – has added two production lines to make up to 200,000 masks a day.

And while the decision was primarily commercial, “encouragement” from the Chinese government – in the form of subsidies, lower taxes, interest-free loans, fast-track approvals for expansion and help alleviating labour shortages – made the decision an obvious one, said Mr Liu who preferred only to give his family name.

Read the full article and more in the South China Morning Post.