Haining, a county-level city in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province donates medical supplies to help overseas Haining natives combat the COVID-19 pandemic. [Photo/WeChat account: hainingfabu]

Haining, a county-level city in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, received a thank-you letter from Gui Congyou, Chinese ambassador to Sweden, on April 25, local media reported.

Gui expressed gratitude to Haining Party Secretary Zhu Jianjun as well as the Haining municipal Party committee, municipal government and the Haining people for their support in the fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia.

As the epidemic spreads across the world and medical supplies are in short supply, the Haining municipal Party committee and municipal government sent 100,000 protective masks to the Northern European Haining Center in Sweden in two installments on March 13 and 25, which were then distributed to local Chinese citizens to help them combat the pandemic.

On April 25, Haining, in collaboration with the Chinese embassy in Sweden, sent another batch of medical supplies to Chinese citizens in Sweden.

"Despite dealing with both epidemic prevention and control and economic recovery, Haining authorities still donated 100,000 face masks to Chinese citizens in Sweden," wrote Gui in the letter, "It showed their concern for their compatriots in Sweden."

The Haining Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese also donated 4,000 face masks to Chinese citizens in Japan, sent medical supplies to volunteer Chinese teachers in Italy, and established WeChat groups with parents of overseas Chinese students from Haining in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia.