China orders 200 million masks from Turkey

China has put in orders for a total of 200 million protective face masks from Turkish medical firms over the past 10 days.

Fatih Arpaci, a stakeholder in a medical firm based in Turkey's western province, told Anadolu Agency that as a "surprising" turnout of events, Chinese firms ordered a total of 200 million face masks in one go.

"It is surprising to us as China is one of the biggest face mask producers in the world. Turkey produces a total of 150 million face masks in one year. But they wanted 200 million face masks," he said.

"Demands keep coming not only from China, but also from other countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, France, Poland and Germany. We work 24 hours a day to meet this demand. We also work on Sundays," Arpaci said.

Earlier in the day, Turkish Airlines suspended all flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Xi'an until 9th of February 2020.

The Airline said: "The safety of our passengers across the world remains our number one priority. Working with national and international health authorities regarding the Coronavirus.

"You can access current information regarding your flights via our flight status page with your flight number or route."

"We continue to monitor developments at this time and thank you for your patience." The Airline said in a message to the passengers.