China’s Alibaba to send masks, testing kits to Latin America
Beijing, Mar 22 (efe-epa).- Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba announced Sunday that it will donate two million masks, 400,000 test kits and 104 ventilators to 24 Latin American countries to assist them in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement was made by Alibaba founder Jack Ma on his Twitter account, whereas the company is yet to provide any details.
“One world, one fight! We will donate emergency supplies – 2 million masks, 400K test kits, 104 ventilators – to 24 Latin American countries,” Ma tweeted.
He added that the countries that would receive this assistance include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Peru.
On Friday, the Alibaba group had announced it would donate 500,000 masks to Spain to help fight the spread of coronavirus.
On Saturday, it announced a donation of 1.8 million masks, 210 thousand test kits and 36,000 protective suits, as well as ventilators and thermometers, to several Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Ma – China’s richest man according to Forbes magazine – stepped down Alibaba’s chairman on Sep. 10, 20 years after he founded it.
The business magnate and former teacher had made public his decision a year before stepping down, stressing that it was not possible to hold the top post forever due to physical limitations, and it was time for younger and more talented people to lead the firm.
However, Ma continues to serve as a part of the board of directors of the company. EFE-EPA
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