Taking the Fight Around the World

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Among the many countries affected is the United States, the base of CGCC.

To support the fight against the pandemic, CGCC and its foundation are currently scrambling to purchase medical supplies for donation to hospitals in need throughout the United States. A donation of 12,000 3M 1860 masks and ASTM Level 3 masks to Jersey City Medical Center was completed, and CGCC is still reaching out to more hospitals throughout the United States, including Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City. At the same time, CGCC is also actively assisting several state governments including New York and Connecticut in procuring medical supplies from China.

This is CGCC’s second wave of mass solicitation of material donations for epidemic-hit regions, following a recent initiative to assist Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China.

Early on January 23, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve, the atmosphere in the CGCC office was different from usual. Colleagues had gathered to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak in China. After seeing news of the medical materials shortages plaguing many hospitals in Wuhan, everyone was anxious about figuring out ways to help the city.

That day, Candice Niu, executive director of CGCC, received an urgent call from Xu Chen, president of CGCC and head of Bank of China USA, who had news that the CGCC foundation had approved US$30,000 to purchase anti-epidemic materials for donation to Wuhan hospitals and launched initiatives on its website and WeChat platform to encourage member enterprises to participate in fundraising. The staff of CGCC quickly got to work collecting donations.

To optimally facilitate material donation, the CGCC office adjusted its division of labor. The team actively contacted major medical material suppliers, processed orders and searched for new sources of supplies day and night. Sherry Qu, a native of Wuhan, was tasked with coordinating with Wuhan hospitals and talked to doctors there every day despite the time difference. Caren Pan was appointed director of material donations. She checked all materials received or purchased by CGCC to ensure that they met relevant medical standards. Luna Yu oversaw customs declarations, and April Luo handled logistics. They spent most of their time sorting through detailed lists of materials, filling out forms and communicating with relevant parties in China. The concerted efforts of the team ensured that each shipment of materials averagely cost only one week in transit to hospitals.

CGCC Branches in Action

Right when the fundraising was launched, the Los Angeles branch of CGCC took the lead in establishing a donation team thanks to 15 enterprises joining up immediately. With the full support and cooperation of the volunteer team of the North America subsidiary of China High-Tech Group Corporation, the Los Angeles branch of CGCC established a special team and clarified division of labor to complete purchasing, counting, sorting, labeling and packing donated materials in just five days.

Lilith Xu, a Wuhan native in the volunteer team, had deep feelings about the epidemic. “During the procurement period, both Sharon Guo responsible for financial affairs and me switched our work focus,” stated Xu. “Material donations became the top priority. The company also adopted a flexible policy in procurement. If you find a source of medical supplies, you can purchase them directly and worry about the documentation later. The company’s support helped us purchase materials as quickly as possible.”

At the same time, the Houston branch of CGCC organized more than 40 enterprises in the southern part of the United States to participate in the fundraising in the name of companies or individuals. To support China’s anti-epidemic front lines as quickly as possible, Zhi Yiyong, the U.S. head of Shanxi Guanjiaying Flange Forging Group Co., Ltd., braved inclement weather to expedite funds to the Houston branch. Shu Chang, head of the North American Branch of Hubei Baiyunbian Group Co., Ltd., immediately pledged donating US$50,000 to purchase epidemic prevention materials. “Baiyunbian Group’s headquarters is in Wuhan,” explained Shu. “The enterprise grew up in Hubei Province. As a native Hubei enterprise, we had to do something upon seeing such a crisis occurring back home.”

After hearing the call for donations from the Washington branch of CGCC, several member enterprises offered help immediately. An employee of China Telecom Americas Co., Ltd. organized donations through a circle of friends. He called on each person to donate 20 Canadian dollars. He matched each donation with another 20 Canadian dollars. In less than three hours, he had received donations from dozens of friends. He raised over 1,000 Canadian dollars from people living in Toronto to assist medical staff of Wuhan and continuously insisted on anonymity.

Donation Transportation

When the donation drive kicked off, SF Express was the first partner to come to mind for many in CGCC. Kevin Zhao, CGCC’s contact at SF Express, immediately agreed to help facilitate transportation of donated medical supplies to China. He set up a WeChat group for logistics coordination which included participation from a dozen colleagues in China and the United States. They patiently helped CGCC check customs declarations and provided oversight for every procedure from pick-up, packaging, loading onto flights, and customs clearance until such donations arrived at designated hospitals.

International transportation schedules changed daily. In mid-February, flights from China to the United States were all suspended, so transportation routes needed constant modifications. Moreover, most supplies required extensive space, which resulted in steep freight charges. Keven Wu, a clerk of SF Express USA in New York, has been actively helping communicate with the headquarters, and China Southern Airlines, Air China and especially SF Express USA came through with big freight discounts, so money could be spent on more medical supplies. Such couriers delivered the donated supplies to China within a week.

Fresh Faces

On February 13, the CGCC office welcomed a special group. The 18-member team was formed thanks to the donation campaign launched by CGCC. Team leader Henry Han had been continuously focused on the needs of hospitals treating COVID-19 patients. When they couldn’t buy in bulk, Han and his teammates would make repeated purchases online for smaller quantities. After a dozen days of efforts, they managed to collect 300 pieces of medical gear worth US$1,587. To catch the earliest flight to China, Han and his teammates shipped the supplies to CGCC’s New York office as quickly as possible.

In early March, the epidemic control situation in China greatly improved after a steep increase of medical supply production. Some of the donated supplies collected by CGCC were no longer needed by the intended recipients by the time they were ready. CGCC volunteer Wang Yan in Wuhan figured out who still needed such things. Wang scoured the city within nearly two weeks and dispersed the supplies to security guards, sanitation workers, construction workers and personnel at community health centers.

On March 5, the fifth and final round of supplies was sent to China by SF Express. By then, CGCC sent 61,986 pieces of medical supplies worth US$82,200 in five shipments to 10 different hospitals. The hearts of CGCC staff, its many partners and numerous ordinary people are with China.