Chairman of Ghana's ruling New Patriotic Party Frederick Armah Blay (3rd R) poses for a photo with other officials and the Chinese representative during a handover ceremony of medical supplies in Accra, Ghana, on July 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)

The Chinese embassy in Ghana delivered a consignment of medical supplies, including 16,000 masks and 100 infrared thermometers, to Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to support the battle against COVID-19.

ACCRA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in Ghana delivered a consignment of medical supplies to Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council on Thursday in a bid to support its efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The medical supplies, including 16,000 masks and 100 infrared thermometers, were presented on behalf of the Fujian Provincial People's Association for Friendship.

The charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Ghana Zhu Jing, who presented the items, said the donation was to reciprocate a similar gesture from the Greater Accra Coordinating Council to Fujian Province earlier in the year.

"The Chinese government and Chinese people empathize and stand firmly with the Ghanaian people as the pandemic rages on the African continent," he said.

Zhu said, "As a sister province to the Greater Accra region, the Fujian People's Association for Friendship decided to donate the masks and thermometers to help the Greater Accra Region defeat the virus."

Greater Accra Regional Minister Ishmael Ashitey expressed gratitude to the provincial government and people of Fujian for their continued support for Ghana.

"This will go a long way to assist us in the fight against the pandemic in the region. We would always want to have this cooperation with the people of China at all levels," Ashitey said.

Since the establishment of their sister province relations in September 2015, the Fujian Province in China and the Greater Accra Region in Ghana have maintained close exchanges and cooperation in areas of trade and investment.