China provides medical supplies to Libya to fight COVID-19

Chinese Charge d'Affaires to Libya Wang Qimin (R) and the Libyan Charge d'Affaires to Tunisia Mohamed Bin Mustafa sign certificate of donation, in Tunis, Tunisia, July 17, 2020. The Chinese Embassy in Libya on Friday handed over a batch of medical supplies to the Libyan Embassy in Tunisia to help the northern African country fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese embassy said in a statement. [Photo by Pan Xiaojing/Xinhua]

TRIPOLI, July 18 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Libya on Friday handed over a batch of medical supplies to the Libyan Embassy in Tunisia to help the northern African country fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

The donation is one of the most recent fruits of the friendship between China and Africa, which came after the first lady of the Republic of the Congo Antoinette Sassou N'guesso exchanged letters earlier this month with Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In her reply letter to Sassou N'guesso, who is also rotating chairperson of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), Peng said the Chinese government will donate a batch of aid to 53 African countries through the OAFLAD to help women, children and adolescents, an expression of the Chinese people's friendly feelings towards the African people.

Wang Qimin, Chinese Charge d'Affaires to Libya, said at the handover ceremony that China will actively implement all the outcomes of the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 and the ninth ministerial conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, which was held via video link last week, and will continue to provide aid to Libya within its capabilities.

Mohamed Bin Mustafa, Libyan Charge d'Affaires to Tunisia, expressed gratitude for China, praising the active role the Chinese embassy has played in providing such aid.

He also said that Libya is following China's positive progress in controlling the epidemic and developing vaccines, stressing that Libya is ready to further enhance medical exchanges and cooperation with China.

The Libyan Embassy in Tunisia will transfer the aid to Libya as soon as possible, Bin Mustafa added.

China donated another batch of medical aid to Libya in June to help the country fight against the pandemic, which included 834 nucleic acid diagnostic kits, 5,000 medical protective suits, 15,000 N95 masks, 100,000 surgical masks, 5,000 goggles and 5,000 pairs of medical gloves.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Libya so far stands at 1,704, with 380 recoveries and 47 deaths.