China donates earth-moving equipment to Myanmar for post-Nargis reconstruction

YANGON, March 16 -- China donated 18 sets of bulldozers and 40 sets of excavators to Myanmar Monday for use in rehabilitation and reconstruction work in cyclone-affected areas in the country.

The earth-moving equipment worth of a total of 56 million renminbi yuans was handed over by Chinese Ambassador Ye Dabo to Myanmar Minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Major-General Maung Maung Swe.

The 56 million renminbi yuans' material aid represents part of 10 million U.S. dollars aid extended by the Chinese government.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony, Chinese ambassador Ye said, as a friendly neighbor, China extended its helping hand when Myanmar was struck by cyclone Nargis in 2008, providing a financial aid of 11 million U.S dollars and 30 million renminbi yuans for use in purchasing 176 tons of relief materials and supplies and for financing Myanmar with a cash of 500,000 dollars.

He recounted that China sent out a 50-member medical team to launch a 14-day relief work, adding that after the medical mission, the Chinese side presented two ambulances, 2 mini-buses and a batch of medical equipment to the Myanmar side.

He disclosed that the large batch of China's material aid worth of 17 million renminbi yuans which is 2,000 tons of galvanized iron sheets will arrive in Yangon this week.

He expressed Chinese government's hope that the aid material would be able to play a positive role in Myanmar post Nargis's relief and rehabilitation work.

He maintained that the Chinese government attaches importance to its assistance to friendly and developing countries.

Noting that China's assistance to the developing countries is genuine and selfless, he assured that China would not interfere in the internal affairs of the country under aid, nor seeking any political special rights but is a kind of mutual help between friends.

He held that the Chinese government would continue to provide aid to Myanmar to help the country develop economy, enhance social progress and jointly establish the Sino-Myanmar relations which are equitable, mutually beneficial, all-sided cooperative and long-term stable.

Thanking China at the hand-over ceremony, the Myanmar minister Maung Maung Swe said the donated bulldozers and excavators will be used in building a network of seven main roads in the coastal regions and 20 cyclone shelters in 19 coastal sites under a natural disaster prevention and preparedness program.

Maung Maung Swe said that the Myanmar people would never forget the goodwill and generosity of the Chinese government, reiterating Myanmar¡¯s dedication to strengthening the existing friendship between the two countries.

According to Maung Maung Swe, the cyclone, that hit Myanmar in May last year, killed 84,537 persons and injured 19,359 with 53,836 missing. The number of damaged houses was about 800,000, specifically over 4,000 schools in the education sector, 16 rural and 138 sub-rural health centers in the health sector.