Chinese medical team arrives in Pakistan to aid fight against COVID-19

Chinese medical team arrives in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 28, 2020. /Photo via Chinese embassy in Pakistan

A Chinese medical team consisting of eight experts arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday, according to the Chinese embassy in Pakistan.

The team, together with 10,000 test kits, 10,000 N95 masks, 100,000 disposable medical masks, 5,000 medical protective clothes, 5 ventilators, 11 defibrillator monitors and some 62,000 sets of drugs for treating COVID-19 patients was sent to support Pakistan in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Saturday that China has sent a group of medical experts from China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to Pakistan. The team formed by the National Health Commission, departed for Pakistan on Saturday afternoon, said ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang in a statement.

The first batch of medical supplies from China, containing nearly two tons of medical face masks, test kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment, arrived in Pakistan on Friday, according to the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.

00:29

Pakistan is the all-weather, strategic cooperation partner of China. After the epidemic broke out, Pakistan immediately expressed its solidarity with China by sending coronavirus-related donations and assistance to China in the early stages of the epidemic.

Pakistani President Arif Alvi visited China last Wednesday. During his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Xi thanked Alvi for his generosity, saying the move proved once again that the two countries are true friends and good brothers.

Xi reiterated China's stance to strengthen international cooperation on COVID-19 containment and vowed to continue contributing to the worldwide epidemic control efforts and offer help and assistance to Pakistan and other countries.

At the G20 Special Summit, China also declared that it is ready to strengthen communication with the international community to fight the COVID-19 outbreak, and called on major economies to take collective action against COVID-19 and restore confidence for a global economic recovery.

According to the latest data released by the Pakistani health ministry, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has risen to nearly 1,300 on Friday.