SARAJEVO — The Chinese ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Ji Ping presented 42,000 face masks to BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic on June 8, the embassy said in a news release.

The masks were donated by the Children's Palace Choir from Wuxi, a city of Jiangsu province in East China.

The children from the choir performed in Sarajevo in August 2019 and enjoyed their visit so much that they have decided to help their friends in BiH in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, so they wrote in a letter addressed to Sefik Dzaferovic, the chairman of the BiH Presidency.

"Some of us donated the money they got for good luck on Chinese New Year, some donated the pocket money they got from their parents, and some opened their money boxes without hesitation and donated their savings. We used the money to buy 42,000 masks and send them to our friends in BiH. We, in distant China, wish you a fast victory over COVID-19," read the letter.

Ambassador Ji Ping said that the donation was special since it did not come from the Chinese government or a private company, but from the children themselves.

He said that China has so far donated six medical ventilators, more than 40,000 masks as well as COVID-19 tests and protective suits to BiH, and 10,000 more tests will arrive soon.

To date, BiH has reported 2,704 COVID-19 cases and 160 deaths.