Central SOEs Pull out All Stops to Win Anti-Coronavirus Battle

Central SOEs have been playing vital roles in combating the novel coronavirus across China since it first broke out.

Sea-land-air joint transport brings emergency needs to the front line

To transport international materials to the needed regions as soon as possible, central SOEs are making full use of their global resources and urgently arranging deliveries by sea, land and air.

China COSCO SHIPPING Corporation Limited (China COSCO SHIPPING Group) has contributed to transport of emergency materials to combat the novel coronavirus.

By Jan 31, overseas project teams of the company had completed transport of 200,000 masks and 20,000 protection suits from the United States as well as 60,000 masks and 4,000 surgical gowns from Malaysia.

About 10 tons of donations were also shipped from Dubai to China.

In addition, the company sent its SAGITTARIUS, a 20,000 TEU ultra-large container vessel to carry two containers of 1422A Cordura materials, special cloth for the medical protection suits, from Belgium.

China Eastern Air Holding Co. Ltd (China Eastern) and China Southern Air Holding Company Ltd. (ChinaSouthern) are both transporting emergency materials.

China Eastern's B777 large-scale full-cargo aircraft was dispatched to transfer 500 cubic meters of materials from the Netherlands to China, including 249,600 protection suits and 136,000 masks.

Nine chartered carriers flew medical teams and four flights transferred about 83.6 tons of overseas materials like surgical masks, protective goggles and protection suits to Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province where the epidemic began.

China Southern opened a green passage to guarantee quick delivery of emergency goods and provided free transport.

Protective articles weighed 3,897 kilograms donated by overseas Chinese in Dubai were transported for free by China Southern's flight on Jan 28.

On Jan 31, 80,000 surgical masks were sent to Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province fromTokyo, Japan. The materials were donated by the city of Kawasaki.

China Railway Materials Group Corporation (CRM) has been devoted to transporting donated materials for the anti-coronavirus battle since the epidemic broke out on land.

CRM Yitong Corporation, a modern logistics subsidiary of CRM in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province where the epidemic is strongest, sent 80,940 masks donated by Japanese non-governmental organizations to the Central Hospital of Wuhan and Hubei Provincial Hospital of TCM on Jan 30.

The company then delivered another 23,400 surgical masks to Xiangyang No. 1 People's Hospital and Gongan Hospital of TCM on the same day.

CRM Yitong Corporation added to its helpful efforts by sending transport vans, drivers and management workers to transport anti-epidemic donations from overseas Chinese in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which were stuck at the Changsha International Airport because of traffic limits at noon on Jan 31.

The materials were delivered to hospitals in the early morning of Feb 1.

Liaoning Port Group, a subsidiary of China Merchants Group (CMG) opened a green passage for emergency anti-coronavirus materials which was used for shipment of 600,000 surgical masks from South Korea.

Sinotrans Limited (Sinotrans), affiliated to CMG, transported China-invested enterprises' donations from Cairo, Egypt to Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province and offered free customs clearance service.

That service was also applied to more than 40,000 masks, 1,400 protection suits and 20,000 protection gloves sent from the Philippines to Fujian Province.

Sinotrans went on to transport nearly 20,000 3M masks between Jakarta, Indonesia and Wuhan as well as 130,000 masks from South Korea to Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province.

Scarce emergency medical articles purchased from all around the world

Central SOEs are purchasing emergency medical articles from all around the world to support the anti-coronavirus battle in China.

China National Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. (Sinopharm) had purchased 2.78 million pieces of medical articles from such countries as Ukraine, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States ,Canada, Peru, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Indonesia and Turkey.

The materials included 2.38 million masks, 166,000 protection suits, 15,200 protective goggles and 190,000 pairs of protective gloves.

Agreements on more purchases are still in negotiation.

A total of 1.12 million masks purchased by China General Technology from South Korea arrived at Beijing on Feb 1 and were later transported by vans to Wuhan.

Overseas subsidiaries of the company also bought materials from local sources to support China's anti-virus battle.

For example, its Italian branch purchased 58,000 surgical protection articles and sent them to Chongqing and its subsidiary in Hungary has reached agreement with a local supplier on purchase of 500,000 masks.

Other central SOEs including China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), CRRC Corporation Limited (CRRC), China Minmetals Corporation (China Minmetals), China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), China Railway Tunnel Group (CRTG), China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (Energy China Group), China Huadian Corporation Ltd. (CHD) and State Development & Investment Corp., Ltd. (SDIC) have also purchased surgical masks overseas to support the combat against the novel coronavirus.

In addition to masks, central SOEs also contributed to purchase of other protection articles from abroad.

For example, MITSUI & CO., LTD., a cooperative shareholder of Health Fund of China Resources (Holdings) Co., Ltd. (CR) donated 34,500 medical isolation gowns, 200,000 pairs of medical gloves and 7,500 surgical masks to Wuhan.

CR also purchased 2.06 million masks and nearly 10,000 protection suits fromJapan, the United StatesandFrance.

Overseas subsidiaries of China Datang Corporation Ltd. have also donated medical gloves, protection suits and surgical masks from other countries.

China Chengtong Holdings Group Ltd. bought 4,000 N95 masks and 20 infrared thermometers from the UAE and has reached agreement to buy 40,000 professional masks fromJapan.

Central SOEs will continue to do battle and guard people's health with their fast transport and material resources.

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)