Chinese govt. provides ¥50 mln emergency humanitarian aid to disaster-hit Afghanistan

Islamabad: The Chinese government has decided to extend ¥50 million in emergency humanitarian assistance on an immediate basis to the disaster-hit areas of Afghanistan to provide relief.

“In the early hours of June 22, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, making it the country’s deadliest in two decades. Up to now, the earthquake has killed more than 1,500 people, injured nearly 2,000 people, destroyed tens of thousands of houses, and killed at least 155 children,” said a news statement released here by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan.

The torrential floods have blocked the rescue efforts in some Afghan provinces, and the local officials had feared surge in the death toll.

The war torn Afghanistan after decades’ conflict and post-US military withdrawal in last August has been in desperate need of funds to rebuild and recover.

However, the US government had frozen $7 billion in assets of Afghanistan’s central bank, and stopped economic aid on the grounds of punishing the Afghan Taliban.” This has exacerbated the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country and damaged its economy and people’s livelihoods”, it said.

Due to an onslaught of natural disasters on Afghanistan, it has been hit by a series of natural calamities including wildfires and floods in some places. After the earthquake, this landlocked, mountainous country has been further plunged into a dual economic and humanitarian crisis. The Afghan leadership has clearly admitted its inability to cope with the situation and called for international assistance for the disaster-stricken people.

“China never stands idle when its friends are in need. As a friendly neighbor and sincere friend of Afghanistan, the Chinese government and people are concerned about the affected areas and people. Several batches of relief supplies have arrived and are being distributed in a fast and efficient manner, and more supplies are on the way,” it said.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a phone call with Acting Foreign Minister Ali Mutaki of the Afghan Interim Government on June 27, stressed that China empathizes with the Afghan people for the difficulties they were facing and was ready to provide more timely assistance to Afghanistan based on its needs.

“China’s rapid action, which can be summed up in three words – fast, solid and considerate, has won the praise from the international community and the Afghan people and fully demonstrated China’s speed, reputation and humanitarian spirit”, it said.

In terms of Fast, from the Chinese government to Chinese social organizations and enterprises, everyone has been racing against time to deliver humanitarian supplies to the disaster-affected people as quickly as possible, so that they can tide over the difficulties soon.

In case of Solid: China is a firm advocate of global development cooperation. “It faithfully does what it has said. All the 8,000 tons of food China had promised to send to Afghanistan has already arrived in the country. China has also announced that it will add additional emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan for earthquake relief”, it underlined.

For Considerate: Apart from the fast arrival of disaster relief materials, China has carefully considered the multiple difficulties faced by the affected people and their actual needs, and subsequently included the much needed materials such as tents, folding beds, blankets and bed quilts into the supplies, which have been well-received and highly applauded by the people in distress.

“China’s rescue work is the best manifestation of the friendship between China and Afghanistan which goes back to ancient times. It shows that China is fulfilling its promise of being a responsible major country, and doing all it can to build a community with a shared future for mankind,” it added.