China's Henan province donates 50,000 masks to Walloon gov't in Belgium

Workers make masks in a workshop of Yadu Group in Changyuan, central China's Henan Province, April 9, 2020. The enterprise is busy working to fulfill domestic and overseas demand of masks, protective suits and other medical materials. (Xinhua/Li Jianan)

The 50,000 surgical masks donated by China's Henan province to the government of Wallonia in southern Belgium have arrived.

The Chinese Embassy in Belgium held a ceremony on Tuesday to deliver the medical supplies, which were contained in packages with "l'union fait la force" written on them, showing China's solidarity with Belgium in the fight against COVID-19.

In a letter to Elio Di Rupo, minister-president of the Walloon Region, Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Cao Zhongming wrote that the Chinese government and people will not forget the precious support and assistance from the government and people of the Walloon Region during fight against COVID-19.

On behalf of the government of the Walloon Region, Alice Baudine, director general of the Walloon Agency for Health, Social Protection, Disability and Families (AVIQ), thanked the Embassy and the provincial government of Henan for their assistance to Belgium.

She said the Chinese donation fully demonstrated the friendship of the Chinese people with the Belgian people. "With support and help from China, Belgium will definitely overcome the epidemic," she added.

Belgium, with a population of over 11 million, is one of the countries worst hit by the novel coronavirus. According to a press release published on Tuesday by the Belgian National Institute of Public Health, 530 new cases have been diagnosed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of confirmed cases to 31,119; while the 262 new deaths reported have raised the toll to 4,157.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)