Pakistani ambassador hails China for being among the first to help as Y-20 aircraft arrived with 3,000 tents for flood-hit ‘ironclad’ brother

　　Photo: Chinese Embassy in Pakistan

The Chinese government and enterprises within and beyond the borders of Pakistan are pouring most needed humanitarian supplies and cash into the flood-hit nation, to stand with the brotherhood country in a difficult time with a fresh batch of 3,000 tents having arrived in Karachi on Tuesday.

Pakistan's Ambassador to China hailed China's immediate aid as a longstanding tradition of sharing weal and woe between two brothers. Observers said the solid friendship between China and Pakistan sets a good example for countries of different political systems and development levels to foster a time-tested friendship, regardless of how international political landscape changes.

The humanitarian supplies from China composed of some 3,000 tents were delivered by the Y-20 large transport aircraftof the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, and the shipment arrived at Karachi Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong welcomed the aid at the airport. At the handover ceremony, Nong said that the Chinese government expressed concern and sympathy at the first stage to the people who suffered from the flood disaster, and decided to offer relief materials worth 100 million yuan ($14.49 million), including 25,000 tents and other relief materials.

Nong said "one more time it highlights our ironclad brotherhood and China is still striving to deliver the rest of the tents and other relief materials as soon as possible."

In an exclusive interview with the Global Times on Tuesday, Pakistan Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said he was extremely grateful to China for being among the first countries to announce disaster relief support to Pakistan. He said he had seen a continuous outpouring of sympathy and support from different sections of Chinese society after the unprecedented, climate-induced natural disaster.

"This exemplifies the longstanding tradition of sharing weal and woe between our two countries and two brothers. The people of Pakistan are indeed touched by this generosity and goodwill," Haque said.

Delivery of tents by PLA aircraft will offer great assistance to those whose houses have been washed away in the floods, according to Haque.

The historic rain and flooding sweeping through Pakistan have claimed 1,136 lives since mid-June. Over the past 24 hours alone, 75 people have died, 59 have been injured and more than 58,000 homes have been destroyed, due to severe weather, according to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

Haque told the Global Times that there has been widespread destruction of infrastructure, crops and livestock. At this stage, the focus is to provide shelter, food and essential medicines to the affected people.

On a flight to Karachi on Tuesday, a Global Times reporter saw large areas of northern Sindh province were still submerged, with only the roofs of some houses visible.

A health expert told the Global Times that it was necessary to undertake the timely prevention and treatment of infectious diseases such as cholera and malaria in the aftermath of the floods, to avoid more serious health problems.

Chinese communities and enterprises inside and outside of Pakistan also provided the best they could offer to the disaster-hit country.

In response to calls from the Chinese Embassy and the arrangement of the Chinese business chamber, China State Construction has donated 600,000 Pakistani rupees, and another Chinese company in Pakistan, Henan D.R. Construction Group, donated cash and materials to those in need, the Global Times learned from those companies on Tuesday.

An employee from Power Construction Corp of China, a Beijing-based major infrastructure project builder, told the Global Times that the company is preparing donations of goods and funds, while providing assistance to local Pakistani employees who have been affected by the disaster.

Since the flood inundated the country, China has provided 4,000 tents, 50,000 blankets and 50,000 sheets of waterproof canvas under the social and livelihood cooperation framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. They have been delivered to the frontline of disaster relief, according to Ambassador Nong Rong.

The Red Cross Society of China announced an emergency cash allocation of $300,000 to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society. A total of 15 million Pakistan rupees have been donated to the Pakistani Prime Minister's Special Fund for Flood relief by 28 members of the All-Pakistan Chinese Enterprises Association, Nong said.

In addition, Nong said the Chinese government pledged to provide assistance to Pakistan's post-flood reconstruction and promote bilateral cooperation in disaster prevention and reduction.

The friendship between China and Pakistan has come more solid as time passed, and it continued to develop no matter how international political conditions changed, setting a good example for countries of different systems and different development levels to develop a friendship, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The friendship is not only reflected in the bilateral relationship but is also deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of both countries, who help each other whenever there are difficult times, Qian noted.