China Customs Policy on Mask Exports (2020 Update)

China never banned mask exports in 2020 — normal declarations moved by express, sea and air freight throughout.

No export ban

As of the 2020 update, China customs had no regulation prohibiting the export of masks. Anti-epidemic materials — masks, protective clothing, eye masks, gloves and thermometers — could be declared normally through international express, international sea freight and international air freight.

The rumor, corrected

Rumors circulated that China had banned mask exports to the United States, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Poland, Kuwait, Singapore, Thailand, Switzerland, Malaysia, Norway, Iraq, the UAE, Sweden, Austria, Israel, the Netherlands, Iceland, Croatia, Greece, Qatar, Oman, Denmark, India, Pakistan, the Czech Republic, the Philippines, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Georgia, Romania, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Andorra, Luxembourg, Ireland, Latvia, Morocco, Lithuania, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and more. The claim was false. The Chinese government in fact supported countries fighting the epidemic.

What changed on March 1, 2020

The export restriction on masks to Hong Kong was lifted from March 1, 2020. Otherwise, masks moved normally from ports and airports across China, whether mailed by individuals to friends and family abroad or traded commercially between companies by air.

Practical checklist for mask exports

1. China customs did not prohibit the export of masks and other emergency epidemic-prevention materials.
2. Export declaration information was provided to the customs broker or international freight forwarder through the regular process.
3. The consignee needed the medical qualification required by the destination country's customs supervision rules.
4. During customs inspection or random checks, exports were handled per the customs instructions.
5. The specific quantity and value of the masks had to be filled in accurately on the declaration to clear smoothly.

Official position (Ministry of Commerce, March 2020)

Responding to foreign media reports of an export ban, the Director General of the Department of Foreign Trade confirmed that China is the world's largest mask producer, that annual mask exports ran above 70 percent of production, and that masks are free-trade products with no trade-control measures on masks or their raw materials. Enterprises traded under normal market principles. (Source: CCTV, March 2020.)