Trump Blacklisted This Chinese Company. Now It’s Making Coronavirus Masks for U.S. Hospitals.

With nurses and doctors desperate for respirator masks during the coronavirus outbreak, the Food and Drug Administration rolled out an emergency approval process for China-based suppliers last week, aiming to let quality products in and keep fraudulent ones out. But the first company the FDA approved has been prohibited by law from bidding for some federal contracts in the United States. Although the company, BYD, is a major global player in the electric vehicle and lithium battery markets, it also has glaring red flags on its record, experts warn, including a history of supplying allegedly faulty products to the U.S., ties to the Chinese military and Communist Party, and possible links to forced labor.