Beijing recently initiated a contingency plan to supply food aid to various countries in Africa, as parts of the continent have been severely affected by a poor harvest. In doing so, China once again proved itself a friend and partner of Africa, and not just a fair-weather one at that.

Affected by the El Niño weather phenomenon, Africa is suffering from its worst famine in 30 years, with over 35 million people short of food and millions of children facing malnutrition.

The helping hand lent by the Chinese government has been met with praise from African countries.

As early as last December, when the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, Chinese president Xi Jinping committed 1 billion yuan ($153.4 million) to be allocated for emergency food aid to African countries.

During Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to Africa this January, he laid out details of the assistance to concerned nations.

In Ethiopia, a country with the second largest population in Africa, more than 10 million people have been affected by the havoc brought by El Niño. China agreed to offer over 10,000 tons of grain to Ethiopia.

So far, most of the aid has been shipped from China and all the supplies will arrive in Addis Ababa by the end of April.

“China’s sincere assistance has once again proven the Africa-China friendship,” said an African friend.

“As long as China makes a promise, it will be fully implemented,” Xi pledged during his first visit to Africa three years ago.

Since then, China has been strengthening bilateral cooperation by upholding a philosophy of “sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith” towards the African continent.

This emergency food aid represents the implementation of the ten major China-Africa cooperation goals proposed by China. The resolute response and tangible measures prove China to be a responsible and major world player.

Mozambican president Filipe Nyusio applauded China for keeping its promise and helping to bring new hope to Africa’s future.

There is an African saying, “growing food is better than buying food.” This saying represents the aspirations of 1.1 billion African people to realize self-sufficiency when it comes to food supply. As a major agricultural nation, China is committed to helping its African friends to realize this dream.

Under the framework of FOCAC, China announced plans to set up an agricultural technology center and send senior agricultural experts to Africa 10 years ago. Nowadays, China’s technology has spread across the continent.

Meanwhile, last year China announced intentions to establish a food safety system for Africa in order to help address the food scarcity. China has also vowed to initiate agricultural projects in 100 villages and boost cooperation between agricultural research institutions.

The continuous strengthening of China-Africa agricultural cooperation has brought new hope to the African people.

For decades, the unbreakable bilateral ties have remained fresh. China-Africa collaboration has been moving forward despite occasional jealousy from outsiders. Some Westerners register confusion about the partnership.

The reason for the strong partnership is self-explanatory, however, if one just compares China’s actions to those of some developed nations.

Apart from not following through on the promise to utilize 0.7 percent of the GNI for official assistance, some developed nations attach political terms to their aid in Africa. Their actions frequently lag behind their words.

China, in contrast, always takes Africa’s needs as top priority.

It is not just empty words when China and Africa vow to maintain a life-long friendship and sincere partnership. Instead, it is grand history written by both sides. The emergency aid provided by China it is just the latest chapter. 

This article is edited and translated from 紧急粮食援助见真情 Source: People's Daily