[Photo/VCG]

Several textile companies in Keqiao district, Shaoxing, Zhejiang province recently turned to making face masks for export as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to worsen overseas.

"We started to make face masks on Feb 10 and introduced specialized machines on March 10," said Jin Xiaobo, a manager of a local textile company, adding that the company also plans to make other protective equipment such as goggles, protective suits and disinfectant and sell them to overseas clients.

Local authorities have encouraged textile companies by granting subsidies to those buying face mask production machines, which cover 50 percent of the cost of each machine.

Companies export their products through Alibaba's cross-border e-commerce platform, foreign trade firms and foreign clients. 

Currently, the district houses three EU CE certified face mask producers and one FDA certified company, and has a daily production capacity of nearly 500,000 face masks. They have received overseas orders worth 10 million yuan ($1.42 million) to date.