On October 11, 2021, Ambassador to Fiji Qian Bo and Fiji Minister of Health Vaakay Nabet jointly attended the handover ceremony of anti-epidemic materials aided by the Chinese government in Fiji in Suva.
Ambassador Qian congratulated Fiji on its progress in the fight against COVID-19 and appreciated the contributions of Fijian healthcare and frontline personnel to this end. Ambassador Qian said that since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, China and Fiji have been in the same boat, watching out for each other, and the friendship and cooperation between the two countries have continued to deepen. In June this year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Mbeynamama had a historic phone call, stressing that China is willing to continue to provide vaccines and other support for Fiji's fight against the epidemic. China is actively considering the establishment of a China-Pacific island emergency material reserve bank to help Fiji and other island countries improve their ability to respond to major public health events and natural disasters. Since the outbreak of a new outbreak in Fiji, the Chinese government, Guangdong Province and other social groups have donated a number of anti-epidemic materials to the Fijian side and the Fijian Chinese community. It is hoped that this batch of supplies will help the Fijian side fight the current epidemic. "Unity is strength", I wish Fiji an early victory over the epidemic and economic recovery.
Ambassador Qian said that since the outbreak of the epidemic, the Chinese government has always put the safety and health of the people in the first place, and has taken a series of effective measures to quickly control the epidemic in China. Up to now, China has received more than 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and more than 1.05 billion people have completed the full vaccination of the new crown virus vaccine. China's GDP grew by 12.7% in the first half of 2021, the most impressive among major economies. At the same time, China is committed to building a community of human health, and China will strive to provide 2 billion doses of vaccines to the outside world throughout the year, and on the basis of donating US$100 million to the "COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan", it will donate another 100 million doses of vaccines to developing countries free of charge during the year. The "Belt and Road" cooperation has not stopped due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, but has continued to move forward, making outstanding contributions to the fight against the epidemic and economic recovery of countries along the route.
Wa said that since the outbreak of the second round of the epidemic in Fiji, the Chinese side has provided medical material assistance to the Fijian side on many occasions, providing valuable support for Fiji to respond to the epidemic and enrich the personal protective equipment of front-line medical personnel, which fully reflects the friendly relations between China and Fiji and the deep friendship between the Chinese and the people of Fiji, and the Fiji side is sincerely grateful. Wa admires China's rapid and effective control of the epidemic in china and the first in the world to achieve economic growth. It is believed that with the support and help of the international community and China, Fiji and other small island states in the region will soon be able to resume normal production and life.
Editor/Zhao Hongxin