ULAN BATOR, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Mongolians have been reaping tangible benefits from humanitarian activities under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) General Director Nordov Bolormaa said here on Thursday.

"Humanitarian activities play a crucial role in strengthening cooperation between countries and friendship between their peoples," Bolormaa told Xinhua in an interview. "We are very happy that many Mongolian citizens have been benefiting from humanitarian projects under the BRI."

A total of 98 Mongolian children with congenital heart disease have received free surgeries in China under a BRI humanitarian aid program launched in 2017, she said.

The heart surgeries were among multiple humanitarian aid programs conducted by the MRCS, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), and the latter's Inner Mongolian branch, according to the RCSC of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

In addition, over 300 Mongolian seniors have received free cataract surgeries under a project called "The Belt and Road-Brightness Trip" since June, Bolormaa said. The plan aims to provide at least 1,000 free cataract surgeries within five years.

Moreover, the RCSC Inner Mongolia branch helped build a first-aid training center equipped with advanced devices at the headquarters of the MRCS in June on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the MRCS.

"We provide first aid trainings to students, teachers, employees of organizations and others 3-4 times a week at the center," Bolormaa said, adding that this is another example of fruitful cooperation of the humanitarian organizations between Mongolia and China.

She said that the MRCS will further contribute the development of bilateral relations between Mongolia and China by more actively cooperating with the RCSC in disaster relief, first aid, prevention of traffic accidents and disaster risk reduction.