US, China start aiding Pakistan’s fight against coronavirus

The United States and China have started helping Pakistan’s fight against the coronavirus as the key South Asian country faces a challenging task to contain the spread of COVID-19 among its more than 200 million people.

The two largest economies are assisting Pakistan – which is struggling to wriggle out of a lingering economic stagnation – to overcome it healthcare gaps through emergency medical supplies.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has unveiled a $5 billion economic package to provide relief to a large population below poverty line as well as support the weak healthcare infrastructure as 80% of the country has been ordered locked down.

While humanitarian in nature, the U.S. and Chinese assistance also reflects the importance of US-Pakistan and China-Pakistan relations at a time of global crisis affecting more than 150 countries.

“We’ve made Pakistan a priority country for emergency coronavirus assistance,” U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Paul Jones, said in a video message.

“We redirected $1 million in existing funding, and provided $1 million in new funding for lab and emergency supplies and to enable communities to identify potential coronavirus outbreak,” Jones added.

Neighboring China, where the virus originated, has also moved swiftly, providing $4 million to build a hospital. Beijing has also dispatched a medical team, comprising experts to assist Pakistani doctors against this deadly disease.

“During its two-week  stay in Pakistan, the team will  train Pakistani medics on how to deal with the coronavirus epidemic,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi who received the team at Islamabad Airport on Saturday.

So far, China has provided 12,000 test kits, 300,000 masks, and 10,000 units of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Separately, Xinjiang provincial government has provided 50,000 masks to the Sindh government. The Alibaba Foundation and Jack Ma foundation have also donated 50 thousand test kits and 50 million face masks.

But Pakistan also needs a large number of ventilators to prepare itself against any wider outbreak and treatment of the infected patients.

China has flown in 56,000 testing kits and ventilators, two critical supplies in the fight against the novel virus that is now a global pandemic.

In Washington, President Trump, while reporting round-the-clock production of ventilators, said the United States would give the expensive equipment to other countries needing it.

Both the United States and China see Pakistan as vital to their interests in the region. While Washington spent around $20 billion to boost Pakistan’s security and economy during the height of the Afghan war, Beijing is investing around $50 billion to establish China Pakistan Economic Corridor – massive infrastructure project at the heart of Asian regions.

But assistance from the two major powers and financial institutions would still be one part of Pakistan’s fight against the virus, which has reached almost every part of the country. The country must enforce a strict stay-home policy for its people, many of whom have disregarded such restrictions in recent days.

The Khan government also needs to motivate the healthcare employees and medical staff and provide them the much needed supplies.

Since pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia and neighboring Iran brought first reported infections to the country over a month ago, Pakistan has now around 1500 confirmed cases. Twelve patients have died and 25 have recovered.