A Chinese plane carrying direct aid from China to the European Union (EU) has arrived in Italy, the bloc's executive arm said on Monday.

The European Commission said in a press release that the Chinese plane delivered 2 million surgical masks, 200,000 N95 masks and 50,000 testing kits to Italy. Following the direct donation from China to the EU, the bloc's Emergency Response Coordination Centre coordinated the distribution to Italy.

"We are grateful for China's support and, as (European Commission) President (Ursula) von der Leyen stated, we need each other's support in times of need. The EU and China have been working together since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. In February, the EU already delivered 56 tonnes of equipment to China," said Janez Lenarcic, Commissioner for Crisis Management, in the press release.