China pumps in money to increase emergency supplies

China's finance ministry has allocated 30 billion yuan (about $4.3 billion) to enhance the country's capacity to ensure emergency supplies.

The funds will be used to supplement local supplies of emergency materials and build a sound system that ensures the coordination, reserve and distribution of emergency supplies, the Ministry of Finance said on its website on Aug 5.

The government will focus on addressing emergency supply shortages at grassroots level, and beefing up local emergency stockpile and production capacity of medical supplies, including medicines, medical protective products and treatment equipment.

The ministry urged provincial governments to improve government reserves of special emergency supplies, and encourage companies to ramp up backup production capacity or ability to refit production lines for emergency medical supplies.