China rushes COVID-19 medical supplies to Pakistan through PoK border

China has sent a truck-load of medical supplies to Pakistan through the Khunjerab Pass to combat the deadly novel coronavirus, after it asked Islamabad to open the border between the two countries for one day to transport the equipment. China's Xinjiang province which borders Pakistan occupied Kashmir dispatched the truck on Friday containing five ventilators, 2,000 safety apparels, 20,000 medical masks and 24,000 nucleic acid testing kits from Khunjerab Pass to the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, China Radio International (CRI) reported.

The Khunjerab Pass is usually opened on April 1 which marks the end of winter in that part, but due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, the border between Pakistan and China has been closed for an indefinite period. China on Thursday asked Pakistan to open the border between the two countries for one day on Friday so that medical supplies to fight coronavirus pandemic could be transported into the country.

The government of Xinjiang temporarily opened the pass for the rapid delivery of medical supplies in Pakistan. Xinjiang has already donated 300,000 medical masks to eight countries, including Pakistan, to help fight the epidemic, Pakistan’s APP news agency reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a press statement that China has sent a team of medical experts to Pakistan to help the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The team, organized by the National Health Commission, consists of experts selected by the health commission of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Geng said.