Chinese companies donate medical supplies to help Austria fight COVID-19

Two Chinese banks operating in Austria donated on Thursday a batch of medical supplies to help the Alpine country fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Bank of China (Austria) donated 100,000 masks and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Austria) donated 38,500 masks and 3,000 test kits for the novel coronavirus to the Austrian Red Cross.

China and Austria will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, said Chinese Ambassador to Austria Li Xiaosi at the handover ceremony of the medical supplies.

He believed that bilateral ties will become stronger through this common battle against COVID-19.

The ambassador emphasized that the donation reflected the sense of social responsibility of Chinese enterprises and proved the solidarity of the two peoples in fighting the virus.

Michael Opriesnig, secretary general of the Austrian Red Cross, expressed gratitude to the two Chinese companies for their donations, saying that such medical supplies are currently most urgently needed here.

Austria has registered 15,672 coronavirus infections with 609 deaths as of Thursday evening. Of those infected, 360 are hospitalized, and 92 are in intensive care, according to data released by the Health Ministry.