Xiamen Port is one of the four major international shipping centers in China, with its container throughput ranking 14th globally in 2019. [Photo/VCG]
Xiamen Port in East China's Fujian province donated 5,000 surgical masks to the port of Busan in the Republic of Korea on March 20, to help the city deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.
The masks were delivered by Xiamen Airlines on March 22 to the municipal government of Busan, according to news reports.
Authorities at Xiamen Port said that the COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread globally, and ROK has been hit hard by the virus. Xiamen Port will make efforts to help its friendship port in the fight against the epidemic.
The donation was arranged by the foreign affairs office of the Xiamen government and transported for free by the China Ocean Shipping Agency Xiamen Company and Xiamen Airlines.
The ports of Xiamen and Busan established friendly relations on Aug 20, 2019, and since then, the two sides have strengthened cooperation in international transit services and technical training and launched more shipping routes between the two cities, with the aim of improving the role of ports in economic exchange between the two countries.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
