The Ningxia Hui autonomous region donated its first batch of epidemic-fighting supplies to South Korea's Gyeongsangbuk-do area on Wednesday to help the region defeat the novel coronavirus and the pneumonia it causes — COVID-19.

The supplies include 1,000 N95 masks, 10,000 surgical masks, 20,000 nonsurgical masks, and 1,000 pairs of goggles.

The shipment left Yinchuan, the region's capital, on Wednesday and is expected to arrive at South Korea's Incheon Airport by next week.

Gyeongsangbuk-do is one of South Korea's most severely affected areas in recent weeks, and it currently faces shortages of supplies.

Ningxia and Gyeongsangbuk-do established friendly relations in 2004 and have conducted mutual exchanges over the past 15 years in various fields, including trade, ecological protection, river management, rural construction, education and youth communication.