As COVID-19 continues to spread across the planet, countries like Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Morocco are urgently in need of medical supplies.

On April 20, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), one of China's earliest national people's organizations, engaged in people-to-people diplomacy and held a donation ceremony for supplies to foreign embassies in Beijing. 

Li Zhaoxing, former Chinese foreign minister, ambassadors and diplomatic representatives from the embassies of Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Morocco, along with representatives from Chinese companies, attended the ceremony.

CPAFFC President Lin Songtian addressed the ceremony. On April 9, 2020, Lin succeeded Li Xiaolin as member of the Executive Council and president of the association.

Donations include COVID-19 nucleic acid tests, rapid detection kits, disposable medical masks and traditional Chinese medicine. The total value is 4.66 million yuan. 

Donors include Jianngsu Huangpu Recycling Resource Co., Ltd, Wuhan Easy Diagnosis Biomedicine Co., Ltd, Yiling Pharmaceutical Co, Ltd, Lishizhen Pharmaceutical Group, Talent Power Health Industry Group Co., Ltd, Yunnan Gongruixiang Tea Industry Development Co., Ltd, and Shenzhen JUNER Living Technology Limited.

"People from China and the world are all victims of this virus," said Lin. "COVID-19 is sweeping the world and triggered a global public health crisis. This is the global war between mankind and nature. The virus is blind by borders and races."

"A friend in need is a friend indeed," Lin said, adding that when Chinese people were fighting against COVID-19, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Morocco and many other countries provided assistance to China, through either official or people-to-people channels.

Royal Air Maroc arranged chartered flights without charge to deliver medical materials donated by Chinese communities in Morocco. Bangladesh's Industrial and commercial sectors, literary and art circles, teachers and students, and religious groups provided support as well. Dato Abdul Majid, president of Malaysia-China Friendship, sent videos to support Wuhan and arranged the donation of 100,000 medical gloves to Hubei Province. Thailand-China Friendship Association and other groups in Thailand also donated cash and materials, and sent their support and best wishes to Chinese people through videos.

Ambassadors and representatives from the embassies of Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Morocco in Beijing expressed solidarity with the Chinese people amid the fight against COVID-19.

"Receiving drips of water when in need, and I shall return the kindness with a spring. Reciprocating an act of kindness is China's fine tradition," said Lin.

So far, the CPAFFC has donated urgently needed supplies, worth 8.31 million yuan (1.17 million U.S. dollars), to eight countries, including the U.S., Italy, Spain, Romania, Iran, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and many friendship organizations.