(ANSA) - Rome, March 10 - Over two million face masks and some 10,000 pulmonary ventilators are set to reach Italy from China under contracts about to be signed, after a phone call between Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi Tuesday.

Wang assured Di Maio that Italian orders for the ventilators would be made a priority by Chinese firms after similar requests were made by other European countries.

Wang also told Di Maio that the Chinese government had instructed its firms to export two million medical masks.

To start with, China is ready to send 100,000 high-tech masks and 20,000 protective suits, along with 50,000 swabs.

