Country Garden Delivered 100,000 Protective Suits Directly from Sydney to Wuhan to Support Healthcare Workers

          On February 24, 2020, nearly 100,000 protective suits purchased by Country Garden Holdings (HK:2007) through the Guoqiang Foundation were delivered directly from Sydney, Australia to Wuhan via a chartered airplane. Along with supplies and equipment donated by Chinese business associations, Chinese-owned businesses, members of the Chinese community and other local firms in Australia, the supplies and protective gear were given to frontline medical staff in Hubei province through the Hubei Charity Federation.

          The coronavirus outbreak in China has led to tightened control over international flights and the limited supply of transportation resources. Following negotiations with Australian authorities, Country Garden and Guoqiang Foundation received special approval for delivering the supplies directly from Australia to Wuhan via flights operated by China Southern Airlines.

          The company and the foundation did their utmost to ensure the success of the direct delivery of the supplies. With the support of the Australian Eminent Chinese Business Association and the Australian Chushang Entrepreneurs Federation, Country Garden and its partners completed the collection of supplies and equipment from providers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Auckland (New Zealand) within three days.

          In addition to purchasing supplies overseas, Country Garden also continued purchasing needed goods in China. On February 21, eight trucks carrying 201 tons of 75% medicinal alcohol, acquired by the company through the Guoqiang Foundation, departed from Xinjiang for Wuhan and other cities of Hubei Province, which are expected to arrive on Feb 26.

          The company also purchased a large quantity of agricultural produce through the Guoqiang Foundation from poor areas. The donation was sent directly to the affected areas in and around Hubei province to meet the day-to-day needs of residents, alleviating the severe issue of unsalable agricultural produce caused by sales channels and logistics challenges amid the outbreak.

          On February 21, fourteen trucks carrying 240 tons of food supplies departed from various locations across Guangdong, Hebei, Henan and Jiangxi provinces as well as Inner Mongolia to Hubei. Among them, some 96 tons of vegetables, eggs, meat and other fresh produce were purchased from Guangdong Province. Another 144 tons were bought from farmers and agricultural organizations located in the 16 counties across eight provinces with the direct assistance of Country Garden, benefiting more than 5,000 people from over 1,800 underprivileged households.

          According to Dingguo Pan, the spokesperson for the Foundation, the actions are aimed at supporting the material requirements of frontline medical staff and the resumption of work and production. The first 240 tons of donated food will be sent to three hospitals, one quarantine point and three locations for disease control and prevention department in Hubei, benefiting nearly 5,000 people. The food will also be sent to more than 50 communities in Wuhan, including more than 20 rent-subsidized apartment buildings, public housing units and senior residences, providing sustenance to nearly 60,000 families.

          To support the whole of society in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, Country Garden made an emergency donation of 100 million yuan (approx. US$14.2 million) through the Guoqiang Foundation on January 24 to set up its first fund to combat the virus and followed up with a second donation of an additional 100 million yuan on February 13.