'Almost every country is asking China for help' - Chinese Ambassador to Ghana

The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Shi Ting Wang, has said almost every country on the globe is begging his country for help in terms of personal protective equipment in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which first broke out in Wuhan.

While presenting a consignment of PPE to the government of Ghana on Monday, 6 April 2020, Shi Ting Wang said: “China, itself, has just tasted the bitterness of COVID-19 and is still recovering, “but at the same time, many other countries, especially some European countries which have been hard hit, are calling for our help”.

“To be honest, nearly every country in the world has asked for China’s help. In the face of such a huge challenge, we have managed to procure these supplies and get them here in chartered flight when all scheduled flights have come to a halt. It is not easy, per se".

“This effort shows China’s firm commitment to China-Africa relations and further strengthening the strong historical bond between China and Africa”, he said.

The items donated include A60 metric tonnes of essential material including personal protective equipment with a volume of 400 cubic metres to Ghana and 16 African countries to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apart from Ghana, the PPE consignment, which touched down at the Kotoka International Airport today, Monday, 6 April 2020, will be distributed to Nigeria, Senegal, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia and Liberia.

The rest are Mali, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Benin, Republic of Congo, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Principe.

Alarmed at the hard times being experienced across the globe, the Chinese government says it is forced to share its limited stock of essential materials with nearly every country in the world.

For her part, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, noted that the pandemic is global in nature, hence, the need for close collaboration amongst all nations, adding: “May l, on behalf of the other 17 beneficiary countries, express similar gratitude to the government of China for its kindness. I am confident that at the appropriate time, the relevant authorities in these countries would be able to express personal appreciation for this offer.”