Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma has donated 1 million face masks to Japan through his foundation after the country generously helped China deal with the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The donation was made by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation on Monday to help Japan alleviate suffering in the outbreak, according to AsiaOne.
“Like the mountain range that stretches before you and me, let’s share the same trials and hardships together. We hope everything will get better soon,” Ma wrote on his Weibo account, citing an old Chinese poem.
“The Japanese people supported China by sending items including masks and protective suits several times when a shortage of medical resources peaked in our country,” Ma said in a message about his donation via Mainichi.
The face masks, however, are not intended for public use as they will be distributed by a private association to medical institutions suffering from shortages after consulting with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and other organizations.
In addition to the masks donated by Ma, the Chinese Embassy in Japan is also donating 100,000 masks, 5,000 protective suits and virus diagnosis kits to Japan.
This isn’t the first time Ma has donated to help those fighting in the front lines during the COVID-19 outbreak. In late January, the Chinese billionaire made a $14 million donation to scientists to help them develop a cure for the virus.
Feature Image via Foundations World Economic Forum (CC BY 2.0)
