China to provide more Ebola aid

China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Liu Jieyi, told the UN-based media on Friday that the Chinese government has announced the fourth batch of assistance to help the West African countries with their fight against Ebola.

He told the media that Chinese President Xi Jinping in his meeting with the visiting Tanzanian President on 24 October 2014 in Beijing, announced that China would continue supporting Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in their fight against Ebola. China would help improve the relevant countries' capability of epidemic prevention and control and support the UN's role as a leader and coordinator in the fight against the virus. Xi announced Chinese government's decision to provide relevant countries and international organizations with the fourth batch of assistance worth a total of 500 million RMB Yuan, or roughly US$ 82 million. They will include:

Providing hospital beds, ambulances, pickup trucks, motorcycles, incinerators, preventive gear and other much-needed supplies to the three epidemic-stricken countries.

Building a 100-bed treatment center in Liberia where the epidemic is most serious and sending doctors and nurses there for its operation.

Sending public health experts to the three countries to help with and participate in epidemic prevention and control efforts of their governments, introduce China's experience and provide guidance to improve work plans and technical guidelines.

Sending more public health personnel to provide training to local medical and epidemic prevention and control staff.

Donating 6 million dollars to the UN Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund to support the work of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response.

Besides, China will launch a program for China-Africa public health cooperation. This program will include,

Holding 12 training sessions on public health and epidemic prevention and control for the three epidemic-stricken countries, the African Union and ECOWAS in 2015.

Consolidating Chinese hospitals, anti-malaria centers, screening labs, medical teams and other Chinese public health resources in Africa to carry out China-Africa joint research on tropical diseases.

Helping African countries to build public health information platforms and epidemic prevention and control monitoring networks.

China will also actively participate in international cooperation.

We will strengthen communication and coordination with the UN and the WHO.

We will participate in the meetings of the Core Group of the Global Ebola Response Coalition.

We will nominate people to work as high-level officials in the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response.

On the prerequisite of full respect for the will of assistance-recipient countries, we will carry out cooperation with the US, France, the UK and other countries on epidemic analysis, personnel training, testing and treatment, information sharing and other areas.

The three batches of assistance previously provided by the Chinese government to West African countries for the fight against Ebola were 250 million RMB Yuan, or roughly US$ 40 million in total value. Nearly 200 medical experts joined the fight against Ebola in the epidemic-stricken countries.

Answering the call of the epidemic-affected countries and the WHO, China delivered three batches of emergency humanitarian assistance including by chartered planes.

China provided cash remittance, food and epidemic prevention and control supplies to the relevant countries

China set up a screening lab and observation center in Sierra Leone.

China sent several batches of experts to the epidemic-stricken areas and asked the Chinese medical teams in these countries to stay to help with the fight against Ebola.

China also provided help to 10 neighboring countries of the epidemic-stricken countries and the African Union to improve capacity-building in epidemic prevention and control.

Through the four batches of assistance, China's message is clear. Ebola is a common public health threat to all countries. China and Africa are a community of shared destiny. The Chinese government and people will stand side by side with our African brothers and sisters to tide over this difficult time.