Half a million masks were delivered yesterday to the warehouse of Italy’s Civil Protection near Rome. The gift stems from the "serious situation" in some countries. For De Siervo, from Civil Protection, the people of Taiwan “demonstrated great friendship”. Taiwan’s ambassador said she was “happy and honoured to be able to help” and that “we can do it together”.

Rome (AsiaNews) – The Taiwanese government has donated seven million masks to the eleven European countries most affected by the coronavirus outbreak, most notably Italy, Spain, Germany and France.

In a statement, Taiwan’s unofficial diplomatic office in Italy, the Taipei Representative Office in Italy, said that the medical supplies (pictured) were delivered yesterday afternoon to the warehouse of Italy’s Civil Protection agency in Fiumicino, near Rome. The gift is a response to the “serious situation caused by the COVID-19 epidemic in some countries.”

“Five hundred thousand masks were delivered to Italy’s Civil Protection Agency at its warehouse at JAS Worldwide Italy in Fiumicino,” read the statement.

Taiwan’s representative to Italy Andrea Lee and her staff were present at the event, along with officials from the Civil Protection Agency.

Giovanni De Siervo, Civil Protection coordinator, noted that “the people of Taiwan have demonstrated the great friendship that binds them to our country.”

For her part, Ambassador Lee said that friends “can be seen at times of need,” and that she was “happy and honoured to be able to help Italy.” Hence, “Long live Italy! Everything will be fine; together we can do it.”

Taiwan is one of the countries that have best managed the emergency caused by the novel coronavirus, faster and more efficiently than the World Health Organisation (WHO) in fighting the pandemic.

In recent weeks, the island nation has donated millions of masks to Europe and the United States, which are still coping with the peak of the viral outbreak.

The gift to Italy, officials say, represents "further proof of the spirit of generosity" of the island’s people, best captured by the well-known motto ‘Taiwan Can Help’. The donation “will also strengthen long-term bilateral relations between the peoples of Taiwan and Italy.”