BLOOMINGTON, Indiana: Less than a month after China confirmed the emergence of what soon became the new coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba pledged US$144 million in medical supplies for Hubei province and its capital city Wuhan.
Soon after that Jan 29 announcement, Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, Alibaba’s founder, said he was giving away US$14 million through his own foundation to develop a COVID-19 vaccine.