BEIJING — China is encouraging export of protective clothing as the growing coronavirus epidemic has driven up global demand for protective gear, an official said on March 4.

The COVID-19 outbreak has worsened in some countries and regions, which are also faced with a shortage of protective supplies. As a major producer of protective clothing, China is encouraging domestic factories to increase exports amid the global fight against the epidemic, Cao Xuejun, a senior official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told a press conference.

As numerous domestic apparel factories refit their production lines to produce protective suits, China's output of protective clothing surged over the past month.

Currently, China is capable of providing 250,000 protective suits to Hubei, the hardest-hit province, every day, exceeding the provincial demand, Cao said.

Although the number of confirmed cases keeps falling in China, the prevention and control of the outbreak remains at a critical stage. Therefore, domestic manufacturers should not cut their production of protective products, Cao said.