China donates epidemic assistance materials to Pakistan

Chinese and Pakistani officials gathered Thursday in Beijing to witness a donation ceremony organized by the China Centre for Promotion of SME Development, offering to donate oxygen concentrators and face masks to help Pakistan combat the COVID-19 epidemic.

At the donation ceremony, Lin Songtian, president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), said in a speech that as iron-brothers and all-weather strategic partners, Pakistan and China stood together in their fight against the pandemic and extended complete support to each other.

He added that the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties marked a new starting point to further elevate bilateral ties to a new pinnacle of bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding.

Both countries will continue their ongoing cooperation on vaccine development and distribution, Lin reiterated.

Donors also included Anhui Health Box Technology Corporation, Jiangsu Jumao Kangwanjia Medical Equipment Co, Sinohydro Bureau and Sichuan Normal University.

Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque (center) and President of the China Pakistan Friendship Association Sha Zukang at the donation ceremony on Thursday in Beijing Photo: Courtesy of the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing

Thanking Chinese enterprises for the donations, Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque thanked China’s people and government for supporting Pakistan in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Haque noted that Pakistan-China cooperation during the pandemic has added another glorious chapter to the proud history of bilateral relations. He gave special thanks to Lin and to Sha Zukang, president of the China Pakistan Friendship Association, for their continued support throughout the pandemic.
The donation ceremony was organised to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and China in 2021.

High-ranking Chinese officials from government departments and the corporate sector participated in the ceremony.

Pakistan recorded 1,097 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, raising the total tally to 951,865, official data showed Thursday, Xinhua reported, citing the country’s National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), Pakistan’s nerve center in fighting against the pandemic.

Thirty-eight patients died of COVID-19 in Pakistan on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 22,108.