Sister cities send messages of gratitude
SISTER cities are sending messages of gratitude to Shanghai for its generous donation of medical supplies to support their fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office, sister cities and other regions had made donations to Shanghai when the virus fight was at a critical stage in China, and now the city offered its support as the pandemic spread around the world.
Despite facing shortage of medical supplies, Shanghai had donated a batch of masks to its sister cities and regions in South Korea, with which it had established friendships, as the pandemic broke out there.
The mayor of Busan and the governors of Jeollabuk-do and
Gyeongsangbuk-do sent letters to Shanghai after they received the masks, expressing their thanks and wishes to enhance exchanges and cooperation with Shanghai in virus control and prevention.
Profound meaning
South Korean media also reported on the donation from Shanghai, drawing many Koreans to post messages of thanks.
“The donation is of profound meaning. Wish such love will continue!” one South Korean wrote online.
When Shanghai sent another batch of masks to Seoul, the country’s political and economic center, Mayor Park Won-soon sent a letter of thanks the day after masks arrived.
“The sincere greetings from
Shanghai people and your kindness have deeply touched Seoul people. They reflect the deep friendship between neighboring South Korea and China, between Seoul and Shanghai,” he wrote.
Japan also faces a shortage of medical supplies and the office said Shanghai had initially donated masks and sanitizing gel to Yokohama and Tokyo.
The Shanghai team responsible for the donation said they worked day and night with their counterparts in Japan to complete all the procedures for preparation, delivery and customs clearance, as sanitizing gel contains alcohol and is listed as a hazardous item.
When supplies arrived at Narita International Airport in Tokyo, the team could not help bursting into cheers.
The local government of
Yokohama, Shanghai’s first sister city, expressed its gratitude and wish to conquer the virus in cooperation with Shanghai and to resume people-to-people exchanges between the cities.
Shanghai donated another batch of masks to Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City.
With the experience of the previous donation, everything ran smoothly, winning a thumbs up from their Japanese counterparts.
International affairs officials at Osaka Prefecture said they badly needed masks and those from Shanghai were good quality and could be used by front-line staff.
Shanghai has also donated medical supplies to eight cities and regions in Europe, such as Milan and Lombardy in Italy, Hamburg in Germany and Marseille in France.