China's humanitarian assistance in combatting COVID-19
- By Xu Xiaoxuan
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 4, 2020
This year's UN World Humanitarian Day was held on August 19 with COVID-19 still wreaking havoc around the world. The pandemic, in turn, has offered a window into China's humanitarian aid to foreign countries to combat the coronavirus currently threatening humanity.
As of March 2, with the peak COVID-19 period in China coming to an end, the country had received anti-epidemic supplies from 71 countries and nine international organizations. At that time, China also began its push to save lives worldwide as the virus continued to spread. Here we take a look at some of the countries China has assisted in tackling this international health crisis.
Italy
On March 10, Italy reached a total of 10,149 confirmed cases, making it the first country outside China to exceed 10,000 cases and the epicenter of the pandemic in Europe. Suffering from a shortage of medical supplies and equipment, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio called China, expressing hope that it could provide help.
On March 12, a nine-member Chinese medical team, along with 31 tons of medical supplies including a large amount of ICU equipment, arrived in Italy. Di Maio expressed his gratitude on Facebook, writing: "Tonight Italy is not alone. Many people in the world are supporting us."
According to Italian news agency ANSA on April 7, a local poll suggested 52% of respondents deemed China to have provided the most help to Italy in combatting COVID-19. Only 3% of those surveyed thought the United States had been the most helpful.
Serbia
On March 15, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic declared a state of emergency during a televised address, stating that Serbia could only turn to China for assistance in containing the coronavirus.
A team of six Chinese medical workers with the first batch of donated supplies including ventilators, masks and test kits reached the Belgrade Airport on March 31, where they were greeted with warm applause from President Vucic and other senior government officials.
The Chinese medical team spent 82 days in the country, visiting almost all the public hospitals and large clinics to offer medical advice. The hard work from both sides has allowed Serbia to maintain some of the lowest rates of severe cases and deaths in Europe.
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