ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi (left) and Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xijun attend a handover ceremony of Chinese donations to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on April 21, 2020. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Southeast Asian countries welcome the assistance provided by visiting Chinese medical teams and donations from China, noting that they can learn key lessons from China’s experience in combatting the novel coronavirus.

With such aids, China and ASEAN “demonstrate that we support one another even at the community and individual levels in ensuring that we stay safe and healthy,” said ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi.

With such aids, China and ASEAN “demonstrate that we support one another even at the community and individual levels in ensuring that we stay safe and healthy,” said ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi 

Teams of medical experts have visited Cambodia, the Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines along with provision of testing kits, masks and personal protective equipment. 

READ MORE: China, ASEAN pledge joint efforts to contain coronavirus

The teams are composed of experts who have firsthand experience in managing the novel coronavirus outbreak. They usually stayed for about two weeks, visiting local hospitals and laboratories, and held extensive discussions with local health professionals to better understand the measures that the related countries are taking to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

Bridget Welsh, honorary research fellow with the University of Nottingham Malaysia’s Asia Research Institute, said China’s medical diplomacy is in line with “China's strategic engagement with Southeast Asian countries”.

Welsh said China is “actively working to strengthen its regional relations, especially with geostrategic partners in Southeast Asia”. 

Citing the visiting Chinese medical team, she said Malaysia can learn “valuable lessons” from China, especially in controlling the spread of the infectious disease.

An eight-member Chinese medical team arrived in Malaysia on April 18. The anti-COVID-19 medical team was organized by China's National Health Commission and selected by the health commission of south China’s Guangdong province.

The Chinese medical team arrived at a time that the Southeast Asian region is struggling with the rising number of COVID-19 patients. The Chinese Embassy in Malaysia said the Chinese medical team has so far visited some of the hospitals and institutions that are assigned to manage the outbreak. These include the Sungai Buloh Hospital, the Institute for Medical Research and the National Public Health Laboratory of Malaysia.

ALSO READ: ASEAN supports China & embraces solidarity in virus battle

Chinese and Malaysian doctors have also discussed measures for the prevention and control of COVID-19 and how traditional Chinese medicine can be used as a complementary treatment method for infected patients.

Malaysia’s director general of health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, said at a press briefing that the country will benefit from China’s experience and knowledge of managing the COVID-19 outbreak.

Malaysia’s director general of health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, said at a press briefing that the country will benefit from China’s experience and knowledge of managing the COVID-19 outbreak. He added that Malaysian health officials will share their research on the whole-genome sequencing of the coronavirus with the Chinese medical experts. 

Malaysia and the Philippines have among the highest number of patients in the region. As of April 22, Malaysia had 5,482 patients while the Philippines had 6,599 cases, according to the World Health Organization.

Analysts said the medical outreach initiative will further strengthen China’s ties with Southeast Asia – one of its closest regional neighbors.

Azmil Mohd Tayeb, senior lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at the Universiti Sains Malaysia in the northwest state of Penang, said Malaysia “can and has learned a lot” from China’s management of the COVID-19 outbreak and its success in breaking the chain of infections. He added that China’s medical outreach mission also eases the challenges Malaysia faces as the outbreak places a strain on the country’s resources.

Myanmar’s Minister of Health and Sports Myint Htwe and the Philippines’ Health Secretary Francisco Duque have thanked the Chinese medical team, taking note of the experts’ recommendations on infection control and prevention. 

In his remarks, delivered at the April 19 send-off ceremony for the departing medical team, Duque said that China provided “a lifeline” to the Philippines. 

Yang Lijuan, head of the visiting Chinese medical team in Myanmar, said China’s donation of laboratory equipment can help the Southeast Asian nation upgrade its testing capacity

For his part, Myanmar’s Htwe said that the “advices and guidelines given by the Chinese team are pragmatic and very helpful,” according to a report filed by Xinhua.

By sending a medical team and providing the necessary supplies, the Chinese government has proved its willingness to “share the burden and (help Myammar to) overcome this hardship,” Khin Ma Ma Myo, professor of international relations at the University of Yangon, told China Daily.

Myanmar had 119 patients as of April 21, according to WHO. Although the number is relatively small compared to other countries in the region, Khin Ma Ma Myo said Myanmar, like many countries, faces a “difficult situation” and thus welcomes the expertise and supplies that China donated.

ALSO READ: ASEAN+3 again show solidarity in the face of adversity

Yang Lijuan, head of the visiting Chinese medical team in Myanmar, said China’s donation of laboratory equipment can help the Southeast Asian nation upgrade its testing capacity. China also donated nucleic acid testing kits, 8,500 N95 masks, 60,000 disposable masks and 5,500 protective suits to Myanmar.

Today’s contribution of medical supplies and equipment to the ASEAN Secretariat is much appreciated, particularly during this challenging time

Dato Lim Jock Hoi, ASEAN Secretary-General 

Among the recent assistances are China-donated medical supplies to the Laos and to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.  

 “Today’s contribution of medical supplies and equipment to the ASEAN Secretariat is much appreciated, particularly during this challenging time,” ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim said at a handover ceremony on April 21. 

“With this aid, we demonstrate that we support one another even at the community and individual levels in ensuring that we stay safe and healthy,” he added.

Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xijun elaborated that when COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, people from all walks of life in ASEAN member states and ASEC expressed sympathy and support of all forms to China. “With all the necessary control measures in place, China is also working hard to assist ASEAN toward an early victory against the disease,” he said.

Chinese Ambassador to the Laos Jiang Zaidong said China and the Laos belong to a community of shared future and are sharing the battle against the health threat.

Contact the writers at prime@chinadailyapac.com