The Chinese embassy to the Netherlands paid high attention to the March 28 news about the 'defective' masks that the Dutch government purchased from China, and contacted the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health to verify the information, said a statement on the Embassy's website on Monday.

On March 28, some Dutch media reported that the Dutch Ministry of Health recalled more than 600,000 masks purchased from China due to quality problems.

File photo: Xinhua

Xu Hong, Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands, said in the statement that regarding the problem that some masks purchased by the Netherlands from China were not appropriate for the medical staff of the ICU, the Netherlands is still looking into the situation, and if there is any further information, it will inform the Chinese side.

"The reason why China supports the Netherlands and other countries in the fight  against the pandemic is very simple: we are trying to save more lives," he added, these problems can be solved in an objective manner, but should not be politicized. It is hoped that this isolated incident will not affect the friendly cooperation between the two countries in the fight against the epidemic.

He noted that, if necessary, the Chinese side will assist in the investigation according to the laws and based on the principles of objectivity and fairness. The Chinese side will continue to fully support the efforts of the Dutch side to fight the pandemic and work together to defeat the coronavirus, which is our common enemy.

(Compiled by Yang Fan)