Milan Bacevic (L), Serbian ambassador in China, receives a list of medical supplies donated by the Jiangsu Nantong No 3 Construction Engineering Group at the Serbian embassy in China on March 28. [Photo/WeChat account: jshmrb]

Jiangsu Nantong No 3 Construction Engineering Group received a thank-you letter from the Serbian embassy in China on March 28 for the company's efforts to help the country fight the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

The Haimen-based company collected 100,000 medical masks, 50,000 gloves, 1,000 protective suits, and 1,000 test kits for the novel coronavirus a week ago and decided to donate the supplies to Serbia.

This is the first time the company has donated essential supplies overseas since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. It previously donated more than 3.5 million yuan ($493,500) to Hubei province and the Haimen People's Hospital.

Officials said the supplies will soon be delivered to Serbia on chartered flights.

Nantong No 3 Construction Engineering Group has maintained close ties with Serbia for years. The group partnered with the Serbian government to carry out a football school project in Laixi, East China's Shandong province, in 2017. Tomislav Nikolic, then president of Serbia, attended the launch ceremony of the project.

The group currently has three construction projects underway in Serbia. It regards the country as a strategic market for Europe and has been playing a positive role in promoting local economic and social development. 

"Thank you for your support for Serbia and its people in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and your contributions to strengthening the iron friendship between the two countries," Bacevic said in his thank-you letter.