In Europe, the United States and the rest of the world, the competition for the purchase of masks is increasingly ruthless. Americans have outbid French buyers on the tarmac of a Chinese airport, the Czechs have seized boxes destined for other countries ... Faced with the coronavirus pandemic which is progressing, masks have become a rare and coveted good by the whole planet. And China has become "the world workshop for masks", as claimed on Monday April 6, 2020 announcing that the masks ordered by France will be delivered "by the end of June".

>> To see, our interview with Bruno Le Maire: "We must be independent to produce masks and respirators"

With the decline in the number of cases on its territory, Beijing has encouraged factories to increase their production of medical equipment at a time when other countries are facing a shortage. Since March 1, the country has exported 3.86 billion masks to more than fifty countries, according to Chinese customs services.

Report on this new "mask diplomacy" from our correspondents in China, Antoine Védeilhé, Angélique Forget and Charlie Wang.

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