ULAN BATOR, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's Ministry of Defense on Tuesday held a handover ceremony to receive 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine donated by China.

Mongolian Defense Minister Gursed Saikhanbayar received the donation from Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Chai Wenrui at the ceremony.

"We are grateful to the Chinese side for extending its helping hand and providing real support to the Mongolian Armed Forces in the fight against the epidemic," Saikhanbayar said.

He noted that this assistance from the Chinese Defense Ministry is not only an expression of friendly relations between the two countries, but also an example of both sides cooperating in the fight against the pandemic.

The batch is part of 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to Mongolia.

"I believe that these vaccines will definitely contribute to Mongolia's ultimate victory over the pandemic," Chai said.

So far, Mongolia has recorded 2,723 COVID-19 cases, with six deaths.