China to provide PH with urgently-needed medical supplies
Published Mar 16, 2020 12:00 am
By Roy Mabasa
China will provide the Philippines with urgently-needed medical materials such as test kits and protective clothing and will dispatch medical experts to the country to help in the effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. attend a news conference after talks at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China March 20, 2019. (REUTERS / Thomas Peter / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
This surfaced during the telephone conversation between Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on Sunday wherein the latter assured that Beijing is willing to do its utmost to help “China’s friendly neighbor across the sea.”
Relevant contents of the conversation between the two diplomats were contained in a press release of the official Chinese news agency Xinhua and were distributed to Filipino journalists by the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Monday.
In the said telephone call, Wang extended his government’s sincere sympathy to the Filipino people, adding that China is closely watching the development of the epidemic in the Philippines.
He noted that the Philippine government and its people gave China valuable support when the epidemic situation was severe, in an apparent reference to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan City where it was first reported.
“China sympathizes with the current difficulties faced by the Philippine people and is willing to join hands with the Philippines to overcome the difficulties,” Wang was quoted as saying in the conversation.
Faced with the shortage of medical supplies and facilities, Locsin expressed to Wang his hope that China will lend a helping hand and actively consider sending medical experts to the Philippines.
The DFA secretary likewise reiterated his firm support for China's fight against COVID-19, and “congratulated China on its important achievements so far.”
He told Wang that the Philippine side has always firmly believed that China will successfully overcome the epidemic, noting that the “Communist Party of China has always led the Chinese people through difficulties time and again in history.”
Locsin reportedly told Wang that the Philippine side knows well that "China is a big country," and that it is "willing to help its neighbors to prosper while advancing towards its own prosperity.”
Wang urged Locsin and other countries to establish a sense of a community with a shared future and carry out international cooperation in joint prevention and control as soon as possible.
“As a responsible country, China will actively share its prevention and control experience with other countries and provide assistance to countries within its capacity while continuing to focus on its own prevention and control efforts,” Wang said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue a counterpart statement on Beijing’s commitment to provide medical kits and send its own medical team to the Philippines.
READ MORE: 2,000 fast test kits donated by China arrive in Manila
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. attend a news conference after talks at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China March 20, 2019. (REUTERS / Thomas Peter / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
This surfaced during the telephone conversation between Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on Sunday wherein the latter assured that Beijing is willing to do its utmost to help “China’s friendly neighbor across the sea.”
Relevant contents of the conversation between the two diplomats were contained in a press release of the official Chinese news agency Xinhua and were distributed to Filipino journalists by the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Monday.
In the said telephone call, Wang extended his government’s sincere sympathy to the Filipino people, adding that China is closely watching the development of the epidemic in the Philippines.
He noted that the Philippine government and its people gave China valuable support when the epidemic situation was severe, in an apparent reference to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan City where it was first reported.
“China sympathizes with the current difficulties faced by the Philippine people and is willing to join hands with the Philippines to overcome the difficulties,” Wang was quoted as saying in the conversation.
Faced with the shortage of medical supplies and facilities, Locsin expressed to Wang his hope that China will lend a helping hand and actively consider sending medical experts to the Philippines.
The DFA secretary likewise reiterated his firm support for China's fight against COVID-19, and “congratulated China on its important achievements so far.”
He told Wang that the Philippine side has always firmly believed that China will successfully overcome the epidemic, noting that the “Communist Party of China has always led the Chinese people through difficulties time and again in history.”
Locsin reportedly told Wang that the Philippine side knows well that "China is a big country," and that it is "willing to help its neighbors to prosper while advancing towards its own prosperity.”
Wang urged Locsin and other countries to establish a sense of a community with a shared future and carry out international cooperation in joint prevention and control as soon as possible.
“As a responsible country, China will actively share its prevention and control experience with other countries and provide assistance to countries within its capacity while continuing to focus on its own prevention and control efforts,” Wang said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue a counterpart statement on Beijing’s commitment to provide medical kits and send its own medical team to the Philippines.
READ MORE: 2,000 fast test kits donated by China arrive in Manila