North Korea reportedly transported large amounts of medical supplies from China on Monday as the reclusive country grapples with the spread of COVID-19.

According to multiple sources familiar with North Korean affairs on Tuesday, three airplanes from the state-run flag carrier Air Koryo arrived at China's Shenyang airport on Monday morning. They were loaded with medical supplies and returned home in the afternoon. Sources say no Chinese personnel boarded the flights.

Based on claims by diplomatic sources that Pyongyang had asked Beijing for quarantine supplies, the planes are believed to have carried related items and medicine.

In a Monday briefing, when asked about aid provision to the North, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the two countries share a tradition of helping each other during times of trouble and virus quarantine is a joint concern faced by all humanity.