Jack Ma’s foundation gives US coronavirus test kits, 1 million face masks to help bolster pandemic defence

Shipments of test kits and protective masks will be handed over to US officials when they arrive this week, Jack Ma Foundation said

Separately, two foundations funded by Alibaba’s co-founder sourced and shipped 1.8 million masks and 100,000 test kits to Italy, Spain, other European nations

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Worker loading pellets of protective gear destined for the United States, which will be handed over to the US Centre for Disease Control when they arrive early next week. Photo: Jack Ma Foundation

Published: 7:00pm, 14 Mar 2020Updated: 4:12am, 17 Mar 2020

Jack Ma, founder of the world's largest e-commerce platform, said his philanthropy is shipping 1 million masks and 500,000 test kits to help bolster America’s capacity to fight the global coronavirus outbreak, as the pandemic ravages its way across Europe and North America from Asia.

The gift by the billionaire co-founder of Alibaba Group Holding, owner of South China Morning Post, is the first by Chinese entrepreneurs to the United States, amid broad criticisms for the way US President Donald Trump has bungled his handling of the disease. The Covid-19 outbreak, which was first reported in China’s Hubei province in January, has sickened 1,681 people in the US and killed 41 at last count.

“Based on our past experience in combating the virus, speedy and accurate testing and adequate protective equipment for medical staff are essential in preventing the epidemic from spreading,” Ma wrote in a post on China’s Weibo microblog site. “We hope the donation will help Americans.”

The gesture comes amid escalating rivalry between the US and China, which have spent almost two years entangled in a trade war that has weighed on the world. Tensions between the two largest economies on earth have spilled over into tit-for-tat restrictions, bans and verbal jousts over technology and currency – even down to the origin of the coronavirus that has afflicted more than 141,000 people in 100 regions and countries.

Huawei Technologies, the Chinese company that owns the world’s largest market share for 5G telecommunications equipment, remains in the US government’s cross hairs.

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