Overseas Chinese donations for Ramadan reflect great support: UAE official

DUBAI, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Consulate General and Chinese expatriates in Dubai have made a record amount of Ramadan charity donations this year, reflecting the great support for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving economic recovery, a UAE official has said.

Making the remarks at a charity event jointly held by the overseas Chinese and Dubai's Community Development Authority (CDA) in Dubai, Omar Al Muthanna, head of the CDA's Social Regulatory and Licensing Agency, said the event helped to alleviate the living pressure of vulnerable groups during the holy month of Ramadan and promote friendship between the two countries and two peoples.

This year, the Chinese mission and the Chinese expatriates in Dubai donated over 200,000 UAE dirhams (about 54,449 U.S. dollars) worth of Iftar meals, the largest amount in recent years, China's Consul General in Dubai Li Xuhang told the event.

Li noted that the event was also held in support of the UAE's '1 Billion Meals' campaign launched by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai and deputy prime minister and minister of finance of the UAE for this Ramadan.

More than 30 representatives of overseas Chinese organizations attended the charity event on Friday at Dulsco Training, a workers' community in Dubai, where over 3,000 iftar meals were distributed, and 130,000 dirhams were donated to the CDA.