COVID-19: China to provide 1,000 more ventilators to Pakistan, says Yao Jing

ISLAMABAD: China would provide 1,000 more ventilators to Pakistan to support the country’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Ambassador Yao Jing said on Friday.

Speaking at an online seminar in Islamabad, the Chinese envoy said, “We [China] have so far provided 7 million Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 600 ventilators along with other equipment to help Pakistan combat the COVID-19.

He said that Beijing was also working for the capacity building of Pakistan’s medical institutions in the wake of the pandemic.

He also thanked the people and the government of Pakistan in extending their support when COVID-19 hit China. He also appreciated the government for adopting the smart lockdown strategy.

Highlighting the importance of Balochistan province in national development, he said, “Development of Balochistan is the development of Pakistan, as it has rich resources.”

He said China was also planning to better equip the hospitals there, adding most of the equipment would be dispatched to the province.

“Despite the COVID-19 situation, all the Chinese companies operating in Pakistan continued their routine work, the envoy told the conference held at Emerging Policymaker’s Institute.

He said the companies did not lay off any employee rather they put in place effective measures to contain the spread of the virus, adding even not a single employee working with the Chinese firms contracted the virus.

During the last six months, he said, the Chinese companies had been doing their best and kept the projects moving forward.

Addressing the seminar, Provincial President Jamhoori Watan Party Nawabzada Gohram Khan Bugti said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was the future of Balochistan and Pakistan.

He asked the government to make more efforts for providing jobs to the youth of the province so that their financial suffering could be mitigated.

He also highlighted the importance of roads network for the progress of any country or area. “Roads network are imperative to complete the journey from poverty to progress,“ he added.