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Russia to send humanitarian aid to China in near future

04 February 2020 19:09 (UTC +04:00)

Russia plans to send humanitarian aid to China in the next few days, Russian Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov said on Tuesday during a press conference in Beijing, APA reports citing TASS.

"Mainly, it includes protective clothing for [medical] personnel. Masks, glasses, protective suits and so on. This is what’s needed most," the diplomat said.

"We are currently discussing nomenclature matters with our Chinese colleagues. Over the next few days, the aid will be delivered, likely directly to the city of Wuhan," the ambassador stressed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying informed on February 3 that 11 countries had already sent humanitarian aid to China to fight the spread of a novel coronavirus. She noted that China requires respiratory masks, protective suits, glasses and other means of protection.

On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the city of Wuhan - a large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people. The city has since been closed off for entry and exit. Foreign states are evacuating their citizens from Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province.

The number of people infected with 2019-nCoV in China has exceeded 20,400, with 420 recorded deaths. There have been two cases of death from coronavirus outside mainland China - in Hong Kong and in the Philippines.

Cases of coronavirus have been detected in 24 countries outside of China, including Russia. On January 30, WHO declared an international public health emergency over the outbreak of 2019-nCoV.