Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong (C) and Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal (2nd R) attend a handover ceremony of Chinese enterprises' donation for Pakistan's flood victims in Islamabad, Pakistan, Aug. 25, 2022. The Chinese enterprises in Pakistan on Thursday donated humanitarian aid of over 15.5 million Pakistani rupees (about 71,340 U.S. dollars) for the country's flood victims in a ceremony held by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) here. (Photo by Ahmad Kamal/Xinhua)
by Misbah Saba Malik, Jiang Chao
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese enterprises in Pakistan on Thursday donated humanitarian aid of over 15.5 million Pakistani rupees (about 71,340 U.S. dollars) for the country's flood victims in a ceremony held by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) here.
The donation was made to the prime minister's relief fund, established by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif for the flood victims.
The All-Pakistan Chinese Enterprises' Association (APCEA) donated the money with the slogan "together through the rain; heading towards the rainbow," expressing the resolve of the Chinese community to help Pakistanis in their hour of need.
Speaking at the event, APCEA Chairman Yang Jianduo said that besides the relief fund, association members are also using other ways to extend their helping hand during the flood season.
The Chinese companies are arranging machines to repair the damaged road as an attempt to bring immediate and direct help to the locals, he added.
Speaking at the event, Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal expressed gratitude for the relief to the flood victims.
He said that Pakistan is facing adverse effects of climate change and this year, the country has had heavily extra rainfall.
"Almost the entire provinces of Sindh and Balochistan have seen the devastation on a scale that has not been seen before. This is a great moment of crisis for Pakistan," he said.
China has always stood with Pakistan in times of need, "whether it is emergency, whether it is some calamity, or whether it is some economic crisis, we can always count on Chinese friendship," Iqbal said.
Lauding the APCEA, he said that the Chinese enterprises are playing a very productive role in making the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor a success story, by leaving their families behind and working hard in Pakistan to strengthen the country's economy.
Expressing his views, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong said that Pakistan is facing severe floods and landslides which have cost many casualties and heavy economic loss.
The Chinese government has expressed concern and sympathy to the victims' families, the injured and the people in the disaster areas, the ambassador said, adding that China has decided to provide another batch of emergency humanitarian supplies and will try to get it there as soon as possible.
"China and Pakistan are true friends and good brothers by sharing weal and woe. We have a fine tradition of helping each other and jointly coping with major natural disasters ... China will continue to promote bilateral cooperation in disaster prevention and mitigation and climate change," he added.
Earlier, the embassy responded to a call of flood victims in Balochistan by donating food packs to 800 to 1,000 families living in relief camps in the province, besides giving away 300 units of solar panels in the areas where the electricity supply was badly disrupted by the flood.
Chinese volunteers in Pakistan also donated food packs to local flood victims by teaming up with a local non-government organization.
According to the NDMA's latest figures, a total of 903 people were killed, nearly 1,300 were injured and thousands were left homeless by Aug. 24, as heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have wreaked havoc in Pakistan since mid-June.
Floods have also damaged over 495,000 houses across Pakistan apart from washing away roads and damaging bridges, the NDMA said.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif asked the public to vehemently contribute to the prime minister's relief fund for flood victims.
He also directed to organize a donor conference for the rehabilitation of the flood victims and asked relevant authorities in the country to brief international organizations regarding the devastating impact of floods in the country and the subsequent relief work being carried out in severely-hit areas. ■
