Director General of the Asian Affairs Department, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Liu Jinsong has said that over the past year, China-Pakistan relations withstood tests and the friendship between the two countries remained rock-solid.
“China had made full efforts to help fight the floods in Pakistan. Since June, Pakistan has encountered the most severe flood disaster in decades. It has caused more than 1,000 deaths and affected over 33 million people. Satellite images show that one eighth of Pakistan’s land was covered by floods,” he said in his speech at recently held online 2nd Pakistan-China Think Tank Forum.
The dry land turned into swamps, where rainstorm and floods washed away bridges and roads, cut off transportation, inundated farmland, destroyed houses, displaced local residents and put kids out of school, Global Times quoted him as saying.
He said, the Chinese people empathized with the people of Pakistan and share their pain and concern. At the same time, we admire the tenacious character of the Pakistani people who have pulled together for self-relief and quickly begun rebuilding their homes.
Terming China and Pakistan ironclad brothers with a tradition of mutual support and help, he said, “We will never forget that in the aftermath of the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, Pakistan promptly sent every tent it had to China’s affected areas by military planes. For every kindness it receives, China will return many times more.”
Liu Jinsong said the Chinese side regarded ironclad brother’s difficulties as its own difficulties. As severe floods hit Pakistan, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang sent messages of condolences to President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif respectively.
China has provided 4,000 tents, 50,000 blankets and 50,000 pieces of waterproof tarp under the social and livelihood cooperation framework of the CPEC and all of them were put into use on the frontline against floods, he added.
The director general informed hat with the urgent coordination of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), China provided Pakistan with 100 million RMB yuan of emergency humanitarian aid. At the end of August, the first 3,000 tents of a total of 25,000 were flown from Sichuan Province to Pakistan by Chinese military airplanes and put into use.
As the flood situation evolved, CIDCA added 300 million RMB yuan of humanitarian assistance. Other urgent relief supplies such as vegetables and tents are being arranged quickly, he added.
He said, the Chinese people are lending a helping hand as well. Pakistani Embassy’s emergency relief account received 1 million yuan of donations within hours after it’s opened. A primary school student from Beijing named Luan Mingxuan donated all his pocket money. Chinese civilian teams of rescue volunteers have arrived in Pakistan.
The Chinese companies in Pakistan took the initiative to repair affected roads and bridges. Recently, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed sympathy over the deaths and injuries caused by the earthquake in Luding County, Sichuan Province. Floods are merciless but human beings are compassionate.
“It is proved once again that China-Pakistan friendship is higher than the mountain, deeper than the sea and sweeter than honey. We are convinced that our Pakistani brothers will prevail over the disaster and rebuild their home,” he added.
About CPEC, he said, it was providing strong support for Pakistan’s economic development and social stability. Not long ago, the Karot plant, the first hydropower project under CPEC, was put into operation after seven years’ construction. It has created thousands of local jobs and, with an annual output of 3.2 billion kWh, it now provides affordable clean energy for 5 million families.
It is estimated to reduce 3.5 million tons of carbon emissions every year, which will help Pakistan enhance energy security and transition into a green economy.
