Commentary

China Watch

Forum Digests

Columnists

Letters

Solid response

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-27 07:33

Premier Wen Jiabao announced at the United Nations on Thursday that China will cancel the outstanding interest-free loans extended to least developed countries that mature before the end of 2008.

And, 95 percent of the products from some of these countries will continue to enjoy zero-tariff treatment in the Chinese market.

This is part of China's latest package aimed at helping poverty-stricken countries.

The announcement came at the UN high-level forum on the millennium development goals (MDGs). It manifests the strength of China's commitment to the MDGs by dramatically reducing the number of Chinese living in poverty and by providing assistance to least developed countries.

The Chinese government has worked hard to make the MDGs reachable in the country.

Moreover, the World Bank verified that over the past 25 years, China contributed to 67 per cent of the achievements in global poverty reduction.

The package of measures announced on Thursday shows that China's commitment goes beyond simple rhetoric.

When Premier Wen called other leaders at the forum to join hands to turn the MDGs into a global reality in 2015, he came with a feasible plan.

China has put itself on the moral high ground when calling developed countries to create favorable conditions for the development of underdeveloped countries.

As a developing country, China is not obliged by the MDGs plan to help other developing countries.

Nevertheless, China has always been assisting the poverty-ridden countries. By June, this year, China had signed agreements with 33 African countries and least developed countries to cancel their debts.

The mid-term review on how the UN MDGs have been fulfilled throughout the world comes on the heels of the world food and energy crisis and economic slowdown.

The economic giants in the world are busy enough with their own problems. Such a scenario will leave a global partnership for delivering the MDGs impossible.

In the "flat" world, problems in one country or region are likely to affect the rest of the world. So it is imperative to gather the world leaders together to assess the common challenges they face and working out solutions.

Governments, foundations, businesses and civil society groups have rallied around the call to action to slash poverty, hunger, disease and other socio-economic ills by 2015, by announcing an estimated $16 billion in new commitments to meet the MDGs.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was excited about this result, calling it "something special".

The gathering "exceeded our most optimistic expectations", Ban said.

On too many occasions, the promises from developed countries have ended up as mere lip service.

Ban's call for the world leaders to "act with speed and focus" is a necessary reminder.

When they meet again in 2010 to further assess the delivery of the commitments undertaken, they should not show the world that they have once again eaten their words.

Premier Wen maintained that the developed countries should bear responsibility for helping the underdeveloped ones. And the assistance should be unselfish and come without political strings.

This is what China does when it helps the poor and needy in the rest of the world.

(China Daily 09/27/2008 page4)