Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Chinese Assistance to the El Nino drought in the FSM


Palikir, Pohnpei, March 17, 2016:  President Christian received a visit from Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Li Jie.  The Ambassador paid a courtesy call on President Christian to inform him of the forthcoming Chinese assistance to relief efforts currently underway in response to drought conditions resulting from El Nino.  These drought conditions were the subject of previous discussions between the President and the Ambassador, wherein the President welcomed any assistance that the PRC might be able to provide.  

The Ambassador thanked the President, Vice President, and cabinet members for their time despite their busy schedules.  He further expressed his pleasure to report that as a result of those previous discussions, and the two countries’ close working relationship, the Chinese Government has mobilized support for the FSM.  The forthcoming support package is 10 million RMB worth of equipment specifically to address and mitigate the effects of the drought, and includes: seawater desalination equipment, portable generators, and water storage tanks.   Ambassador Li stated that this is by far the largest contribution from China to the FSM for disaster relief.  He further indicated that the assistance package would be delivered to the FSM Government via chartered aircraft delivery, for further distribution to affected areas at the discretion of the National Government.

President Christian expressed his great appreciation to Ambassador Li and the Government of the PRC for the generosity and timely response to FSM needs.  He further emphasized the importance of temporary technical support to assist the FSM with familiarization of equipment operations and maintenance. President Christian thanked the Ambassador once again, and promised to share a drought assessment report with him once it was finalized and available.  

For further information on this release, please contact Department of Foreign Affairs at (691)320-2613.  .

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