On April 24, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Vancouver held a hand over ceremony for the donation of medical supplies to the Province of British Columbia (BC) by Guangdong Province. On behalf of Guangdong Province, Consul General Tong Xiaoling handed over a total of 56 boxes of medical supplies, including disposable protective gowns, medical gloves, and medical surgical masks to the BC province. Hon. George Chow, Minister of State for Trade attended the event on behalf of the provincial government. Also attending are Ms. Melinda Mui, interim Vice President of the Provincial Health Services Authority, Ms. Jeannie Cheng, President of BC-Guangdong Business Council, and Consul Shanjun Yu.

In her speech, Consul General Tong pointed out that, Guangdong and BC became sister provinces as early as 1995. Over the past 25 years, with the joint efforts of the governments and people from all walks of life of the two provinces, bilateral economic and trade cooperation, technological and cultural exchanges have been continuously expanded and deepened. At the critical moment of BC's fight against COVID-19, Governor of Guangdong Province, H.E. Ma Xingrui wrote a letter to Premier John Horgan to express his concerns and support. Although fighting the virus in Guangdong remains a formidable task, in the spirit of humanitarianism, the provincial government did all it could to organize a batch of medical Personal Protective Equipment and donated them to BC Province, which fully embodies the deep sisterly friendship for the past 25 years.

Consul General Tong said, since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Canada have been offering each other support and assistance and conducting anti-pandemic cooperation.

Earlier this month, the Chinese Consulate General has donated some N95 and surgical masks urgently needed by Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital in two batches, also to the Vancouver Police Department, and the First Nations Summit, etc. We’ve also been assisting and facilitating relevant organizations in the procurement of medical supplies from qualified Chinese suppliers. On March 26 and April 8, doctors and nurses from Wuhan had two conference calls with physicians, logisticians and head administration officials from Vancouver Coastal Health and from across BC. Doctors and nurses from both sides shared their experiences and best practices in dealing with the coronavirus. On April 18, experts from Wuhan held a video conference with some local doctors from the Canadian Office of the World Association of Chinese doctors to exchange anti-epidemic experience.

Local Chinese communities, including the BC-Guangdong Business Council, have played a significant role in the fight against epidemics. They voluntarily collected and donated medical supplies to front line medical workers, first in China and then in BC. Their contributions are fully recognized and appreciated by people of both countries.

As President Xi Jinping pointed out, the virus knows no borders or races. It is a common challenge that can only be addressed by concerted international efforts. We strongly believe that, facing the sudden and unprecedented attack of a virus unknown before, with the joint efforts of the international community, we can fight the virus and written together a new chapter of building a community with a shared future for mankind. The epidemic will eventually pass, and victory will surely come.

Minister Chow, on behalf of Premier Horgan and Minister of Health, expressed his heartfelt thanks to Governor Ma Xingrui for the supporting letter and providing the urgently need medical supplies to the fight against the epidemic in BC. Minister Chow also recognized the important contributions of the Chinese Canadian community, especially the Chinese Canadians of Cantonese origin, in promoting the friendship between the two provinces. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the sister provinces relationship between BC and Guangdong, and the 35th anniversary of the sister cities relationship between Vancouver and Guangzhou. We look forward to the celebration of the anniversaries once we beat the epidemic.

Ms. Mui, on behalf of the Provincial Health Services Authority, expressed sincere appreciation to Guangdong Province for donating medical protective items to BC. These items will not only provide timely and effective protection for first-line medical staff, but also play an important role in the critical moment of BC's anti-epidemic struggle. More importantly, they demonstrate the caring and friendship of the Guangdong Province for the BC Government and all British Columbians. As a Canadian originated from Guangdong, she feels greatly appreciative for the generosity of the donation.

Consul General Tong also accepted interviews from OMNI TV and Xinhua News Agency, introduced work done by the Consulate in actively promoting anti-epidemic cooperation between China and BC.