#Coronavirus - Chinese aid to the EU delivered to Italy

The EU has put international co-operation at the forefront of its response to coronavirus. Following an agreement reached between President von der Leyen and Premier Li Keqiang last month, a donation of protective equipment from China to the European Union has now arrived in Rome, Italy.

“We are grateful for China's support and, as President von der Leyen stated, we need each other's support in times of need. The EU and China have been working together since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. In February, the EU already delivered 56 tonnes of equipment to China,” said Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič.

The Chinese plane delivered 2 million surgical masks, 200,000 N95 masks and 50,000 testing kits to Italy. Following the direct donation from China to the EU, the Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre coordinated the distribution to Italy. In February, over 56 tonnes of supplies (protective clothing, disinfectant and medical masks) were delivered to China, provided by France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Estonia, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

The full press release is available online.

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