by Xinhua writer Liu Bowei, Chen Ziwei
BOAO, China, April 1 (Xinhua) -- China is an important participant and promoter of international humanitarian cause as it keeps providing humanitarian relief to places in need, a senior official from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said.
"China plays an important role by supporting relief ... It's important that China engages (and) continues to engage for humanitarian aid, for providing relief in the different places where it's needed," ICRC Vice President Gilles Carbonnier told Xinhua on the sidelines of the just concluded Boao Forum for Asia annual conference.
Carbonnier emphasized the significance of the Geneva Conventions, saying "it allows us to protect our common humanity, and is really humanitarianism that unites civilizations."
He praised China as one of the earliest countries to accede to the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, highlighting China's dedication to international humanitarian responsibilities.
Carbonnier underscored China's deployment of medical teams and personnel to various countries and regions since 1963, emphasizing the importance of China's continued engagement in humanitarian affairs.
Just several months ago, said Carbonnier, the ICRC had an exchange with the China Medical Team on delivering medical assistance in challenging and fragile contexts.
"We hope that we will continue this cooperation with China Medical Team," he said.
Carbonnier also said that beyond official channels, cooperation between China and the ICRC in humanitarian aid extends to a wider scope of engagement.
"We have Chinese staff working with us, Chinese citizens who join us as humanitarian workers, and we also procure quite a large share of the goods and services that we need to provide assistance (from China)," he said.
Annually, the ICRC purchases 250,000 solar lamps produced by China, which have been dispatched to over 30 countries including Syria, Ukraine, Nigeria and Libya, Carbonnier told Xinhua.
The solar lamp has a USB interface which allows refugees and displaced people to recharge their mobile devices. "It's what they ask when they are just displaced. They want to reconnect with their families. They want to have information on the situation," said Carbonnier.
It is a "very useful innovative product and a good example of cooperation," he noted.
As for China's efforts dedicated to delivering public goods to the international community, Carbonnier said China-proposed initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative are important as they highlighted the interrelation between development, security, and peace.
"What we see with our 20,000 people staff working in armed conflicts is that people need security; they need job opportunities, and they need hope. I think we need to provide emergency relief but at the same time to provide hope," the official said.
"Indeed, it's difficult to have sustainable development without peace, and it's not possible to have security and peace without development," said Carbonnier. ■
