Chinese embassy in the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Thursday donated about 25,000 surgical masks for Daegu, said a statement on its website.

"China is willing to provide necessary assistance to the ROK and the two sides have maintained close communication on this," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.

Chinese ambassador to the ROK Xing Haiming said China and the ROK have been helping each other in the fight against the novel coronavirus. The Chinese people will never forget the helping hand extended by the ROK people in times of crisis, according to the statement.

China will also continue to raise anti-epidemic materials to support the ROK people's fight against the disease. We believe that with joint efforts of the two peoples, the epidemic will be overcome at an early date, the statement read.