Medical supplies from Japan are offloaded at Taicang port, Jiangsu province on Feb 3. [Photo/WeChat account: taicangdaily]

The Japanese city of Shimonoseki donated 2,800 face masks, 300 protective suits, and 1,000 medical gloves to Taicang, Jiangsu province, on Feb 3 to support the city's battle against the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic.

"It’s not easy to collect medical supplies under the current situation, but we still want to be of some help," said a spokesperson of Shimonoseki Port, "second round of supplies will arrive in about a week."

The partnership between the Taicang and Shimonoseki ports has contributed significantly to Sino-Japan economic and trade cooperation over the past few years, according to the administrative committee of Taicang port.

Local authorities expressed gratitude for the timely assistance and promised that Taicang Port would implement multiple measures in 2020 to make the Taicang-Shimonoseki trade route more efficient.

A sea route between Taicang and Shimonoseki that was launched in September 2006 has greatly increased Sino-Japanese trade and attracted companies such as Panasonic, Sharp, and Canon.

Shintaro Maeda, mayor of Shimonoseki, said during a visit in December 2019 that the two cities share many similarities and he hopes to broaden cooperation with Taicang port.

Japan is Taicang's third largest business partner, and more than 170 Japanese enterprises operate in the city, forming several industrial clusters and attracting manufacturers such as Honda Motor, Toyota Tsusho, Komatsu, Sojitz Group, and Nippon Steel.