Kazakh student's rare blood builds special bond with China

A 25-year-old Kazakh student has voluntarily donated over 5000 milliliters of rare Rh-negative blood during 8 years of study in China, helping to create a special bond between the two countries, reports China Central Television. 

Tulenov Ruslan, a Kazakh student who has voluntarily donated over 5000 milliliters of rare Rh-negative blood during 8 years of study in China. [File Photo: qq.com]

Tulenov Ruslan has Rh-negative blood, which is so rare in China that is sometimes referred to as "panda blood". 

Found in only 1% to 3% of the Chinese population, it is often difficult for Chinese patients with this blood type to find a match.

Ruslan came to study in China in 2009 as a teenager and made his first free blood donation at Hainan University in Haikou, capital of south China's island province of Hainan.

Since then, the student has become more aware of the nationwide rarity of his blood type here in China, and has told the local Blood Center that he "will be there to help" whenever they need him.

Tulenov Ruslan, a Kazakh student who has voluntarily donated over 5000 milliliters of rare Rh-negative blood during 8 years of study in China. [File Photo: qq.com]

The young man was admitted to the University of Science & Technology Beijing (USTB) for a master's degree in 2016, where he kept up blood donations twice a year.

It's calculated that Ruslan has donated over 5000 milliliters of blood, helping to treat hundreds of Chinese patients.

He was praised by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a speech at Nazarbayev University in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, during a state visit in 2013.

Xi mentioned Ruslan's generous contribution, noting that Ruslan has also contributed to the elimination of diseases for some Chinese people.