China donates 100 buses to support public transportation in Syria

Buses donated by China to Syria are seen in Damascus, Syria, June 20, 2019. China has donated 100 buses to Syria to facilitate public transportation in the country. The Chinese Embassy in Syria said in a statement that the buses will help enhance the public transportation in Syrian cities, which will improve the daily lives of the Syrian people. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

DAMASCUS, June 20 (Xinhua) -- China has donated 100 buses to Syria to facilitate public transportation in the country.

The Chinese Embassy in Syria said in a statement that the buses will help enhance the public transportation in Syrian cities, which will improve the daily lives of the Syrian people.

The latest aid is part of an ongoing aid contributed by the Chinese government to Syria to help the country, which has been suffering from an eight-year war.

The embassy said the relief aid of China is going to play a positive role in the social and economic reconstruction of Syria.

On Thursday, Chinese embassy officials attended a ceremony for delivering the buses to the Syrian government in the capital Damascus.

The brand new green buses were parked at the Fairground as the Chinese Ambassador to Syria Feng Biao and the Minister of Local Administration and Environment Minister Hussein Makhlouf were signing the receipt notes.

After the ceremony, Makhlouf said that the donation of the buses is a "valuable gift."

He added that Chinese aid will help Syria overcome the obstacles and help the Syrian people.

The Syrian minister, meanwhile, hoped that China would take part in the reconstruction process in Syria.

He said the Syrian government hopes that China will be present in the reconstruction phase in Syria through Chinese companies and their experiences and capabilities.

He noted that it will deepen the friendship and cultural connections between Syria and China.

For his side, the Chinese ambassador said that the Chinese aid aims to encourage the Syrian people to pursue a better future.

The ambassador added that "we will continue to give aid and take part in the economic reconstruction in Syria and we wish the best for the Syrian people."

The Chinese government has offered several batches and kinds of aid to the Syrian people throughout the war.

Late last year, the Chinese government donated 800 electrical power transformers and electric cables to Syria.

Between 2017 and 2018, China donated around 10,000 tons of food aid, according to the Chinese embassy statement.