How China connections delivered hope to Spain

Editor's note: This news column showcases stories from around the world that bring a touch of positivity to the fight against the deadly coronavirus.

A Spaniard who had studied and worked in China put her connections to use to help make vulnerable senior citizens safer during Spain's coronavirus outbreak.

Cristina Bermejo Garcia, who spent six years in China, was worried that older residents in a part of Madrid that she knew would be forced to resort to homemade solutions in response to a shortage of face masks and other protective gear. And her concerns did not stop there.

Through her efforts, nearly 1,750 items－surgical masks, other masks rated to the FFP2 standard and protective suits were donated by the Shanghai-based Fosun Foundation and two other Chinese enterprises. They reached communities in north Madrid on April 23 and, with Bermejo Garcia's help, were distributed to clinics and nursing homes－amounting to dozens of locations.

But that was only part of it. Nearly 15,550 protective items were also delivered at the same time to two major hospitals in the Spanish capital, where they were in short supply, for the frontline medical workers.

Bermejo Garcia, 35, a senior architect at Fosun Hive's office in Lisbon, Portugal, worked actively as a bridge between the Chinese enterprises, which had wanted to donate supplies, and those medical institutions that needed help in Spain.

The Fosun Foundation reached out to her in late March, asking whether she was interested in helping to facilitate donations from Fosun as well as Heaven Pictures (Beijing), a film-production company. Also on board was the Committee of Qin 100, an economic collaboration program initiated by 100 entrepreneurs, which wanted to help the medical institutions most in need in Spain.