01 Investigation
Written by: Chen Runnan
2020-04-15 07:40
Last update date: 2020-04-15 07:40The global outbreak of New Coronary Pneumonia has made masks a popular keyword in international trade. Some unscrupulous businessmen have forged certificates to defraud buyers, and even disappeared after the other party paid. Some American businessmen bought millions of dollars of masks from Chinese manufacturers who had cooperated for five years, but the other party disappeared after payment; some American merchants even bought Halloween masks.
She Jibiao, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises, said that he also received many invitations to export masks and knew that some Hong Kong businessmen also wanted to profit from it. He believes that under the current epidemic situation, if the businessmen are not familiar with the market and can not go to the mainland to inspect the factory, reckless investment will only "get greedy and get poor."
Dan Harris, an American lawyer familiar with international law and Chinese law, has recently received a large number of inquiries about the trade of medical products, including three U.S. traders who revealed that they were defrauded of more than $ 1 million when buying medical supplies from Chinese businessmen.
5 years of cooperation, suppliers cheated $ 1 million
The reporter interviewed Dan Harris by email. He said that the cheated businessman was not engaged in the medical industry. Two of them were deceived by a regular supplier who had cooperated for 5 years. The other party recently said that there were medical supplies for sale. An American businessman paid more than 1 million US dollars to buy, and the other party disappeared immediately. In another case, the American merchants exchanged old Halloween masks (also called Masks in English).
American lawyer Dan Harris said that he has recently received inquiries from a number of American businessmen who encountered Chinese mask scams. (Online picture)
Dan Harris said that under the epidemic, mainland manufacturers that originally made socks and toys have become mask manufacturers, while US retailers who sell golf balls also want to buy masks by hand, which makes the market very confusing. American buyers inquired their lawyers about the certificates provided by Chinese manufacturers. After a look at their colleagues in the investigation team, it was clear to the naked eye that nine out of ten were false. Some Chinese merchants only claim that their products comply with "international standards". As a result, the masks do not comply with the purchaser's national regulations and cannot be imported.
Worry-free buyers and buyers can hardly make guarantee agreements
He said that the current demand for mask trade is too much for supply, even if the buyer wants to conduct transactions in the form of third-party custody, but because the manufacturer does not worry about the buyer, the buyer is difficult to negotiate a more secure way, but Dan Harris still strongly recommends that Under certain circumstances, if there is no local inspector to check the factory, or do not get the official Chinese legal documents, do not buy; the purchaser should also verify the identity of the buyer again and again.
In addition, Dan Harris also mentioned that he constantly learned from customers that Chinese officials do not want to export medical supplies to "unfriendly countries" such as the United States in the eyes of the Chinese Communist Party, but want to export medical materials to "friendly countries", especially the most Important PPE and test agent. He said that even if you come into contact with a large factory specializing in the production of medical materials, the official will restrict the export of these companies, use the materials for domestic purposes, or transfer them to "friendly countries" through the government. Therefore, he believes that it is not easy to engage in the export business of mask trade.
New coronavirus pneumonia: Taken on April 7, New York State is the hardest hit by the epidemic in the United States. The authorities implemented a family order, and the streets of Times Square in New York City are empty. (Reuters)
As the most severe epidemic in the United States, New York State has confirmed more cases of new pneumonia than Italy. The picture shows that on April 6, New York medical personnel wore personal protective equipment and pushed the body onto a refrigerated trailer to serve as a temporary morgue. (AP)
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The mask business trap also "deceives" Hong Kong businessmen. She Jibiao, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises, said that the outbreak of the epidemic is global, and the export of masks to Europe and the United States seems to be of great interest. Many Chinese and Hong Kong businessmen took the initiative to pull the line and hope to take the opportunity to make a fortune. She said that some people around him also invited him to participate in the mask export business, but he thought it was a "silly business."
He explained that, as far as he knows, the American business community generally uses bank letters of credit (LC) for transactions, and only pays when they receive the goods. Hong Kong traders act as intermediaries in the mask trade chain, so they must first advance the Chinese mask factory for American merchants. As a result, if there is a problem with the mask manufacturer, the port factory in the middle will suffer significant losses. She said that many Hong Kong companies often only recognize mask traders online. Later, due to the epidemic situation, they were unable to inspect the factories in the mainland. They only knew about the other party by telephone and WeChat, and were naturally easily deceived. And the mask trade investment amount is often millions of cash, "Well, uh, uh?"