Ma donated 1 million masks and 500,000 sets of Covid-19 test kits to the United States

This is the first gift from a Chinese businessman to the United States in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic that continues to spread globally. As of March 16, the United States had 1,629 people infected and 41 died from the virus.

"Based on our past antivirus experience, rapid, accurate testing and adequate protective equipment for health workers is essential to prevent the spread of the disease," Ma wrote. Weibo. "We hope the donation will help Americans."

The number of medical supplies Jack Ma donated to the United States. Photo: Jack Ma Foundation

Chinese-made test kits and protective gear will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week. New York said it was developing its own diagnostic kit. In addition, two charitable funds sponsored by Mr. Ma and Alibaba have donated 1.8 million masks and 100,000 test kits to Italy, Spain and European countries.

China, dubbed the "world factory", produces more than 100 million masks a day, five times the production of 20 million units before the Covid-19 outbreak.

Besides Mr. Ma's organization, a number of other private companies also donated protective gear abroad. Fosun International, owner of Lanvin and Club Med, donated 360,000 medical supplies to Hokkaido (Japan) and 220,000 medical supplies to South Korea. Xiaomi donated more than 10,000 masks to Italy, while Zoomlion Heavy Industry donated 50,000 masks to the country. Shanghai Wind, China's largest real-time financial services provider, donates 60,000 masks to two hospitals and foreign customers.

Jack Ma's charity organization has spent 100 million yuan on domestic and foreign research institutions to support research work on the vaccine for Covid-19. Not only Europe and the US, the fund also donates medical supplies to Japan, South Korea and Iran. Some test kits are also ready to move to Africa, where medical resources are scarce.

Before Covid-19 appeared in the United States, China was America's philanthropic country. The US government pledges US $ 100 million to help China and other countries affected by the disease. Many US businesses like General Motors donate money and medical equipment to China, especially the Hubei epidemic.