A team of 14 medical experts from southeast China's Fujian Province departed on a chartered flight to Italy on Wednesday morning to aid the European country's fight against the pandemic. 

The team consists of experts from several hospitals and the center for disease control and prevention (CDC) of Fujian, as well as an epidemiologist from the national CDC and a pulmonologist from Anhui Province. 

The experts specialize in respiratory, intensive care, infectious disease, hospital infection control, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and nursing.

They will share experience in COVID-19 containment with local hospitals and experts, provide consultation services for Chinese communities and Chinese students studying in Italy, and offer them protective supplies and traditional Chinese medicine. 

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The experts will mainly work in the Tuscany region. 

The flight took off at about 11:10 a.m. from Fuzhou Changle International Airport and is scheduled to arrive in Milan at 4:45 p.m. local time. 

The plane is also taking about eight tons of medical supplies donated by the province, including 30 ventilators, 20 sets of medical monitors, 3,000 protective suits, 300,000 medical masks, 20,000 N95 masks, and 3,000 face shields.

China has sent two medical teams with 22 people and over 20 tons of medical supplies to Italy. 

The coronavirus pandemic had claimed 7,503 lives in locked down Italy by Wednesday, with the cumulative total number of cases reaching 74,386, according to latest data released by the Civil Protection Department. 

Huang Yu, a provincial health official and leader of the team, said China has acquired extensive experience in its fight against the disease, and they are ready to share it with their Italian colleagues. 

"We are honored to be given the task assigned by our country, and we will do our best to help the Italian people tide over the difficulties," Huang said. 

Xu Nengluan, director of the infectious diseases department of Fujian Provincial Hospital, has been treating COVID-19 patients for over two months. 

"For our medics, saving lives knows no borders," Xu said, commenting on his new task in Italy. 

The Chinese government has announced assistance to 82 countries, the World Health Organization and the African Union, including test kits, masks, and protective suits. Many batches of supplies have reached the recipients, China's foreign ministry said last Friday.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: Medical experts to Italy prepare to board a plane in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, March 25, 2020. /Xinhua)