Group photo of Chinese and Pakistani officials at the ceremony of donation of coronavirus nucleic acid test kits Photo:Courtesy of Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

China on Friday donated 100,000 novel coronavirus nucleic acid test kits and sample releaser buffers, worth about 12.8 million yuan ($2 million), to Pakistan to bolster its capacity in its ongoing fight against the pandemic.

Thanking Chinese enterprise for the generous gift, Pakistan Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque paid tribute to Chinese people and government for supporting Pakistan in its fight against the pandemic. The Ambassador noted that Pakistan-China has maintained close cooperation during the pandemic had added another chapter to the proud history of bilateral relations at the donation ceremony on Friday.

"Chinese vaccines have been a backbone of Pakistan's inoculation drive and so far, about 130 million doses have been delivered to Pakistan from China. Today's ceremony is yet another demonstration of this act of friendship and generosity," said Moin ul Haque.

The ceremony was especially organized to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between two countries being celebrated this year. 

This shipment of medical supplies was donated by Wuhan Easy Diagnosis Biomedicine company who also offered free technical guidance in using the donated equipment. The company has also previously donated testing kits to other countries including Mongolia and Morocco. 

Li Xikui, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said at the ceremony that the donation once again demonstrates the unbreakable friendship between China and Pakistan through concrete actions.

The Chairman of China-Pakistan Friendship Association Sha Zukang said  that anti-pandemic cooperation between Pakistan and China has been mutually beneficial for both countries. He recalled that Pakistan had also extended utmost support to China at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and provided all available resources including the strategic reserves. 

Global Times