North China's Shanxi province has donated epidemic prevention materials to a number of its international sister regions, in order to help them control the spread of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, according to local officials.

While expressing deep concern and its willingness to help in joint efforts to fight the epidemic, Shanxi has also been busy donating masks, protective clothing, goggles and other anti-epidemic materials worth 1.1 million yuan ($155,167) to North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, Saitama in Japan, Jeollanam-do in South Korea and Mantova Province in Italy. 

Currently, the anti-epidemic materials donated to North Rhine-Westphalia have arrived in Germany, and those off to Saitama, Jeollanam-do, and Mantova Province have arrived in Beijing and are waiting to be flown out. 

Meanwhile, the province has also paid close attention to its compatriots overseas. It has so far donated 40,000 protective masks and 132,000 traditional Chinese medicinal preparations to chambers of commerce, overseas Chinese student groups, associations of overseas Chinese and associations of Shanxi-born people in more than 30 countries and regions.