Portuguese maker of air-conditioners Frimec International will go ahead with its plan to invest 300 million yuan (US$43 million) in China this year in spite of the coronavirus epidemic there, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese government-run news agency says the Frimec International subsidiary in China, Frimec (Jiangsu) Environmental Technology Co., believes strong demand for its products will follow the epidemic.

The report quotes Frimec (Jiangsu) Environmental Technology General Manager Sun Jian as saying his company means to build a data centre and to sell air cleaning equipment in China.

Mr Sun said his company had received many urgent orders for air cleaners for operating rooms in hospitals treating coronavirus patients.

“We have to work around the clock now to produce more machines for the hospitals,” Xinhua quotes Mr Sun as saying.