Coronavirus: China vows to help Spain amid questions over EU support for its worst-hit countries

Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells counterpart his country is ‘willing to provide necessary support’, as Italy reveals it is buying Chinese supplies

European Union accused of failing to respond to call for help

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Barcelona is quiet as Spain enters a state of emergency to battle the spread of the coronavirus. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 12:00pm, 16 Mar 2020Updated: 3:42pm, 19 Mar 2020

China has widened its coronavirus diplomacy in Europe, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi pledging medical support for Spain, which begins a national lockdown on Monday.

Italy, the outbreak’s worst-hit country after China, also said on Sunday it would receive from China 5 million masks, 150 ventilators and two extra medical teams.

Chinese medical assistance for Europe’s two most severely affected nations came as Italy accused European Union members of failing to send the equipment needed.

China’s actions also coincided with the United States’ tensions with Europe. The White House has issued a travel ban for the whole of Europe, while it is also, according to the German ministry of health, trying to acquire a German pharmaceutical company specialising in Covid-19 vaccine developments.

Italy, which is also under a national lockdown, reported 368 new deaths on Sunday – a higher toll than the worst day recorded in China. Its number of confirmed cases rose to 24,747 from 21,157 on Saturday. In Spain, the fatalities more than doubled overnight – from 136 on Saturday to 288.

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