The Chinese Government is donating vital medical equipment to aid Jamaica’s COVID-19 response, Ambassador Tian Qi has stated.

Included in the inventory, which a spokesman at the Chinese Embassy in Kingston said is expected to arrive this month, are:

1,000 N95 surgical masks;

1,000 disposable medical isolation gowns;

200 infrared thermometers;

1,000 pairs of medical protective goggles;

1,000 pairs of disposable sterilised rubber surgical gloves; and

1,000 pairs of medical isolation shoe covers.

Ambassador Tian made the revelation in an article published on Page 14 of today’s edition of the Sunday Observer in which he outlined his Government’s contribution to the international community in the wake of the virus which first emerged in Wuhan, China last December.

Using the Jamaican saying “Good frien’ betta dan pocket money“, Ambassador Tian said Jamaica is China’s first strategic partner in the Caribbean.

“We stand firm with each other whenever there is need as we believe that solidarity means strength,” he said on Friday when the Sunday Observer sought a response to the donations which amount to just under US$119,000 in value.

He said both China and Jamaica have the character of perseverance and resilience and expressed confidence that “fighting this epidemic will make Jamaica and Jamaican people stronger and more tenacious.

“China is ready to share with Jamaica and the world its scientific research data, technological achievements, and epidemic prevention and control strategies, and to provide assistance to the best of its capacity to counties in need,” the ambassador said.

“We also call on the international community to strengthen cooperation and jointly safeguard regional and global public health security by upholding the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

“Real friendship is achieved through weal and woe. We are seeing more potential of bilateral cooperation on public health and other fields. China is also ready to have more cooperation in investment and trade with Jamaica to mitigate the impact of the epidemic on the economy, and to boost the development of Jamaica after this period of difficulty,” stated ambassador Tian.

In his article Ambassador Tian pointed out that Chinese enterprises operating in Jamaica, as well as Chinese associations here, are also making what he termed “big donations” to public sector entities, including the police, hospitals, parish councils, and the fire service, amounting to approximately $35 million, as a demonstration of solidarity and support.

Additionally, he said that Chinese tech titan Jack Ma, founder of the globally renowned e-commerce empire Alibaba, will donate 3,000 testing kits, four ventilators, and 30,000 surgical masks to Jamaica.