China 'donates' PPEs it had received as donation from Italy; charges them for it

In a shocking revelation, the PPEs which China claimed to have donated to Italy as it grappled to fight the COVID-19 pandemic were actually not donated but sold to the Vatican country, claims a report quoted by news agency ANI. China, which has been quite literally 'masking' the havoc it wrecked worldwide by its humanitarian gestures of donating faulty equipment, was caught in a lie after a senior official from Trump administration, as quoted by a British publication, revealed that China “forced Italy to buy back the PPE supply that it gave to China during the initial Coronavirus outbreak." 

Read: China's Covid Alarm Bells Ring Again Amid 'second Wave' Fear; Beijing In Long-term Control

China’s 'slippery' diplomacy

This comes after Italy had generously donated Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to China before it succumbed to the deadly disease itself recording over 15,000 deaths, exceeding China's death toll. During this time of crisis, Beijing had actually sold, not donated, Italy's PPEs back to the country, several media reports claimed.

Read: Italy Registers Lowest Increase In Virus Deaths

This does not come as a surprise to many since China’s diplomacy in the wake of the pandemic outbreak has been slippery. Much of its supplies and testing kits that it sold or 'donated' to other countries have turned out to be defective. Spain had to return 50,000 quick-testing kits to China after discovering that they were faulty. While the Netherlands complained that half of the masks they were sent did not meet safety standards. China did respond to the Netherlands; however, asking them to ‘double-check the instructions’ on its masks instead. 

Read: COVID-19: US Officials Warn Coming Week Could Be 'Pearl Harbor Moment'

Lethal virus paves its way through continents

First originated from China's “wet markets”, the coronavirus has now claimed over 69,480 lives worldwide as of April 6. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 208 countries and has infected at least 1,274,346 people. Out of the total infections, 264,838 have been recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries and the economy is struggling. 

Read: COVID-19: China Donates 1,000 Ventilators To New York

(With ANI Inputs)