Overseas Chinese in Helsinki, Finland, extend a helping hand to China's fight against the epidemic. [Photo/Xinhua]

Zhejiang province native Zhao Puzhou recently bought a mask factory in Cambodia. When the factory with a planned daily production capacity of 100,000 masks goes into operation, the masks will quickly be sent to China at a cost of 0.3 yuan (4.3 US cents) each.

Masks have become precious during this year's Spring Festival holiday, as China battles the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"As soon as I learned about the epidemic in China, I started to think about how I could do my part to help," says the 45-year-old, who's also chairman of the Cambodia-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce.

Instead of looking for masks from overseas, Zhao took over a plant to produce a constant supply.

"I will produce masks in accordance with Chinese standards," Zhao says."It's a pity that the factory isn't big enough to produce more."

Zhao is among tens of thousands of overseas Chinese who've thrown themselves into China's fight against the novel coronavirus, despite living thousands of miles away. The sudden surge in demand for medical supplies, as well as the Lunar New Year holiday, which is a traditional shutdown period for most plants in China, has resulted in a shortage in epidemic-control materials for hospitals.