A flight from Porto, Portugal, carrying more than 200,000 medical articles weighing four tons landed at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province on Feb 14.

The articles, including 45,000 surgical masks, 420 medical protection suits, 15,000 surgical gowns, 40,000 medical caps and 100,000 pairs of shoe covers were provided by Energias De Portugal (EDP), the largest energy provider in Portugal.

The materials will be delivered to Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, and Yichang Central People's Hospital in Yichang. Both cities are in Central China's Hubei Province where the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) is most prevalent.

CEO of EDP Antonio Mexia said that masks are sold out in Portugal as well as in other European countries. He connected with more than 20 suppliers, and added in the efforts of EDP's international purchase teams to collect the medical articles in a week.

The largest shareholder and important strategic partner of EDP, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), is responsible for transport and delivery of the goods.

Mexia explained that EDP and CTG have been cooperation partners for many years and have kept sound communications. Knowing that the anti-virus front-line in China lacks medical materials, the company decided to make the donation.

Mexia showed his confidence when talking about the anti-virus battle. He pointed out that the Chinese people are strong and have high efficiency. He said he believes that they will get through the epidemic.

He also expressed his willingness to deepen cooperation with CTG.

So far, EDP has business in 19 countries and Mexia said he has proposed that the two companies work together to develop a third party market and join hand in global clean energy development.

Wu Shengliang, deputy general-manager of China Three Gorges International Corporation, a subsidiary of CTG, said that CTG has cooperated with EDP for eight years and that they know each other well. He also mentioned that the epidemic has not impacted overseas projects and showed his optimism about the anti-virus battle.

CTG purchased 21.35 percent of the equity of EDP at the end of 2011. It is the company's largest individual shareholder.

The two enterprises had increasing cooperation with each other in such fields as economy, culture and talent exchange in the past eight years, which earned them the praise of being  "a model of Portugal-China trade and economic cooperation" from Jose Augusto Duarte, ambassador of Portugal to China.