On 8th April, the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK (CCCUK) officially donated the first batch of medical supplies to The Lord Mayor’s Appeal (LMA), the official charity of the City of London. The collection consists of 1.862 million items donated by CCCUK member Bank of China, including 20 ventilators, 722,000 units of medical masks, 100,000 units of N95 face covers, 19,000 sets of medical protective clothing, 19,000 sets of goggles, and 1 million pairs of medical latex gloves. The medical supplies will be donated to UK’s NHS hospitals, care homes, overseas students studying in the UK, overseas Chinese in the UK, and local communities.

Under the assistance of the British Embassy in China, approximately 4,000 boxes of medical supplies weighing 65 tons have arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport ready to be delivered to London via the official UK government channel. To date, 20 ventilators have arrived in London on 6th April. This is the first batch of medical supplies donated by the CCCUK to the UK Government.

In March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivered a national speech in the face of the developing severity of the virus, and he urged the business community to provide ventilators to help the NHS. CCCUK took action in the first instance by issuing an initiative, ‘UK-China United We Stand – UK COVID-19 Outbreak Donation Campaign’ to call upon its members to donate ventilators and other vital medical supplies to the UK. The initiative was met with donation intents of 44 ventilators from CCCUK member companies in just two weeks. More enterprises and individuals will donate medical supplies and or capital to the NHS and hospitals in the next few weeks. In addition to Bank of China, many CCCUK member companies, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China London Branch, China Construction Bank London Branch, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank London Branch, Sinochem Europe Holdings plc., Huawei Technologies (UK) Co., Ltd., PetroChina International (London) Co., Ltd., Agricultural Bank of China London Branch, SINOSURE, Greenland (UK) Investment Limited, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Sinopec UK Office and Makin Metal Powders (UK) Ltd. are also in the process of purchasing and organising ventilators and other urgent protective equipment. Proactive and swift response from the Chinese enterprises demonstrates the unity between the UK and China and their courage and resolution to fight against the pandemic.

At the virtual donation ceremony held by both parties, H.E.Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, spoke highly of the proactive role played by the Bank of China and CCCUK in raising medical supplies to support the UK’s fight against the pandemic. He expressed that today’s donation ceremony once again embodied Chinese enterprises’ social responsibility and international duty. It shows the genuine friendship between the UK and China, uniting through difficult times and the cooperative spirit between them. They join hands against the virus, manifesting the rich connotation of the ‘Golden Age’ of China-UK relations.

Mr Fang Wenjian, Chairman of CCCUK and General Manager of Bank of China London Branch, expressed we had not forgotten the support China had received from the British people when the pandemic was at its worst in China. Now, as we confront this difficult time in the UK, our members will consolidate forces, fulfil our social responsibilities, raise even more medical supplies for the NHS and help as many people as we can.  

Richard Burn, HM Trade Commissioner for China, stated that he is exceptionally grateful for CCCUK’s love and kindness shown through their support for the UK in fighting against the pandemic. The 20 ventilators will have a significant effect on saving the lives of critically ill patients of COVID-19. It is a symbol of friendship between the UK and China and reflects good relations between them. This charitable act by CCCUK will hugely support the NHS medical staff and will further strengthen the UK’s confidence in overcoming the virus. He believes that the UK and China will establish an even friendlier and closer cooperative relationship after the crisis.

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor Alderman William Russel, Lord Mayor of the City of London, expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Chinese companies that offered a helping hand during this critical time through video. He described this charitable act as sending charcoal in snow, an embodiment of the friendship between the two countries. He complimented that this donation

The event is another fruitful achievement of the cooperation between the UK and China and is the manifestation and extension of the spirit ‘UK-China United We Stand’.

John McLean, Head of China-UK relations for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal, expressed his gratitude to the Bank of China, CCCUK and the Chinese people who have supported the UK. He mentioned that the LMA had joined hands with CCCUK once again to fight against the virus. The generous donations received from the Chinese enterprises will assist the UK to help the vulnerable better and become more potent when facing the pandemic.

At this critical time, the CCCUK plays the leading role by uniting the Chinese enterprises in the UK with the British community to overcome challenges, fulfilling their social responsibilities, demonstrating responsibility through the spirit of ‘UK-China United We Stand’ between people and communities of China and the UK.