The Herald has previously reported another major Chinese developer was doing the same thing. Employees of Greenland Australia, a subsidiary of the Chinese government-backed global property giant Greenland Group, were instructed to put their normal work on hold and source bulk supplies of essential medical items to ship back to China. Loading A whistleblower from the company has told the Herald it was a worldwide Greenland effort - and the Sydney office was no different, sourcing bulk supplies of surgical masks, thermometers, antibacterial wipes, hand sanitisers, gloves and Panadol for shipping. "Basically all employees, the majority of whom are Chinese, were asked to source whatever medical supplies they could," one company insider told the Herald. This went on for weeks through January and February, he said. The humanitarian efforts of Chinese companies to help their desperate compatriots back home may have contributed to shortages of products in Australia.

By late January medical experts were worried about the lack of available masks. "The thing we need most as GPs is some masks," said Dr Harry Nespolon, president of the Royal Australian College of GPs. "They are not readily available." Professor Raina MacIntyre, a global biosecurity expert at Kirby Institute in Sydney, also expressed concerns about the shortage. As the surge of coronavirus infections increases, healthcare workers are becoming desperate. "The shortage of personal protective equipment in NSW hospitals is scandalous," one healthcare worker told the Herald. "Doctors and nurses on the front line feel inadequately protected, exposed and vulnerable." In one major Sydney hospital "junior doctors are being told there are only 30 N95 masks available for all operating theatres". The healthcare worker said this was forcing people to source masks from the "black market," the quality of which is dubious. Greenland Group sourced 3 million protective masks, 700,000 hazmat suits and 500,000 pairs of protective gloves from several countries including Australia.

In February Risland’s LinkedIn page showed pallet-loads of safety gear being stored in a warehouse ready for shipment. "90 tons of selective medical supplies … ready for the air transport direct from Sydney to Wuhan via corporate jet on Monday next week," said the company’s post. "China-Australia work as one together to fight epidemic" reads the banner being held by Risland’s CEO Dr Guotao Hu (second from left), Ray Zi, general manager, human resources & administration and former communications manager Isaac Huo. The LinkedIn post said it was "an exceptional and meaningful day" for the company in its "campaign to show our strong faiths to Wuhan people and our ultimate appreciation to those who work days and nights and fight against the virus at the front line." Richard McGregor, a China analyst at the Lowy Institute said Greenland and Country Garden would have been expected not only to do their part, but to publicise their patriotism by helping out the country at a crucial moment "In China ... companies can live and die according to government decisions," he said. "Real estate companies are particularly exposed to government whims, as all land is owned by the state."

In a subsequent media release, Greenland Australia’s parent company, Greenland Group, said it "felt compelled, as a major international company", to assist in efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus, "which had caused a shortage of crucial medical supplies in China". Loading "Greenland Australia supported Greenland Group’s initiative by arranging for medical supplies to be dispatched to China. Again, it should be noted that this proactive response occurred in late January and early February, at a time when the worldwide spread of the virus, and all response efforts, were focused on China. "However, Greenland Australia also recognises that Australian people are currently at risk, and with the more recent and ongoing domestic spread of COVID-19, the company is focused on helping people in this country, just as Australia’s many friends around the world are doing," the company said in its statement. Risland was also keen to point out that its decision to send aid to Wuhan was “in early February 2020, weeks before the Australian government activated its emergency response to COVID-19".

Dr Hu said in a media statement that the company's response was organised by the Guoqiang Foundation, a private foundation of Yeung Kwok Keung's, the founder of Country Garden. “At the time, China was the country most severely affected by the disease," said Dr Hu. "Risland Australia, alongside other Australian companies and those from around the world, shipped supplies to aid medical teams and hospitals in the Chinese city of Wuhan." He also said that Risland's donation was a "once-only shipment" and "was a humanitarian gesture to communities most affected by a virus that later travelled rapidly around the world". Dr Hu said now that conditions in China were easing, the Guoqiang Foundation is planning for a reciprocal shipment of medical and other supplies to Australia. The Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton is working on a plan to crack down on hoarders who are profiteering out of COVID-19 as well as giving authorities more powers to be able to seize items at the border including medical supplies.