(Newswire.net— April 4, 2020) — A Berlin senator accused the U.S. of snitching the shipment of respirator masks that were on their way to Germany, Russia Today reports.
Allegedly, 3M sent some 200,000 masks from its factory in China to Bangkok, Thailand where they should have departed to Germany. However, the entire shipment has been diverted to the U.S. instead.
Berlin’s Senator for the Interior affairs Andreas Geisel confirmed on Friday that the masks had been “confiscated.”
“We consider this an act of modern piracy. This is not how you deal with transatlantic partners,” Geisel said.
Germany, however, did the very same to Italy amid the worst COVID-19 crisis facing its Mediterranean ally. When Italy asked for help, Germany banned the export of medical equipment – including masks, goggles, and gloves.
France issued a similar ban, and the EU imposed controls on exports beyond the European bloc.
The U.S. also diverted shipment of 3M products intended to its northern neighbor. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said it is possible that America will suffer a backfire because of its blockade of 3M respirator masks exports to Canada and South America.
US President Donald Trump used the Defense Manufacturing Act yesterday to force 3M to produce exclusively for the U.S. needs.
During a daily news conference, Trudeau indicated that thousands of nurses from Canada cross the American border and go to work in Detroit daily.
Mr. Trudeau said it would be a mistake to blockade or to reduce the amount of cross-border trade in assets and services, especially medical equipment. “This is what we want to make very clear to the US administration,” Trudeau said.
3M announced today that it would boost respiratory production and introduce additional masks in the US, but warned that blocking exports could cause retaliation from other countries, leading to a reduction in the amount of equipment available.