Op-Ed Contributors

Sustain global aid for Yushu

By Manzie Aki Fiona and Jolly Amber (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-31 07:50
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The reconstruction effort at Yushu in Northwest China, which was hit by a devastating earthquake on April 14, is underway and the international community, including humanitarian organizations, is expected to continue giving financial and material aid to the victims who have yet to fully recover from the psychological trauma.

The international community reacted swiftly to the tragedy and showed their solidarity by sending condolence messages to the Chinese government. Foreign leaders and heads of international and regional organizations also commiserated with Chinese leaders after the powerful earthquake.

These messages went hand-in-hand with international efforts to send aid to the quake victims.

Some countries and organizations even expressed their willingness to offer assistance, which was a clear manifestation of their goodwill toward China, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

The Chinese government on its part welcomed and sincerely appreciated the effort.

However, this "goodwill" should be transformed into sustained and tangible humanitarian assistance.

Although the gesture by foreign bodies and organizations to send aid to the people in the quake zone is appreciable, sustained assistance is needed from the international community. Such assistance will greatly complement the Chinese government's efforts to supply relief material to the quake zone.

More important, sustained assistance from the international community will quicken the pace of reconstruction in the quake zone and facilitate rehabilitation measures by the government, especially since nearly 90 percent of homes, school buildings and road networks have been destroyed by the quake.

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