China is stepping up its contributions to the fight against ebola, seen as a test of its diplomacy in Africa given growing trade and investment as well as historic pledges of friendship.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday pledged $6m to the World Food Programme, for food aid for countries isolated by the outbreak. That follows earlier pledges of about $33m in medical aid to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, and $2m each in contributions to the World Health Organisation and African Union.
While leaders of afflicted countries grow impatient with the slow pace of aid promised from developed countries, Chinese teams are already on the ground in hard-hit Sierra Leone. But their presence is dwarfed by the scale of the problem, with 3,800 dead in three countries, 8,000 infected and thousands of medical workers and hospital beds needed.