The health crisis has strained ties between Paris and Beijing.
An operation by France's Chinese community to help the diaspora during the coronavirus outbreak by distributing masks, disinfectant and gloves has prompted questions and legal problems for some of its backers.
Yet on April 5, police in Paris detained two representatives of Chinese associations for possession of some 15,000 masks. The Chinese embassy in Paris insisted in a statement that there was nothing illegal. It was doing"its best... to defend the rights and legitimate interests of Chinese compatriots in France."France this week summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest a string of controversial comments by Beijing's embassy in Paris on France's handling of the coronavirus.
Faced with"the inability to take appropriate protective measures", said the authors of the letter, penned in Mandarin, they were launching an appeal for"certain protective products and medical materials". If ex-pats granted French nationality are included, the number could be as high as 700,000, according to local groups.
"So the government decided to help the Chinese abroad, to calm the situation. This can be called Chinese health diplomacy," she said.Besides official aid, there has been massive private mobilisation, including the supply of millions of masks via"non-official channels," said Tamara Lui, president of the Chinese Association of France.
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