CRNTT:
As just mentioned, Chinese foreign aid has launched "small yet beautiful" projects, such as those related to Juncao , artemisinin, and hybrid rice. Could you introduce how Chinese foreign aid implements and promotes these aid projects? Thanks.
Tang Wenhong:
In 2021, at the third symposium on the development of the BRI , President Xi Jinping pointed out that "small yet beautiful" projects should be a priority for foreign cooperation. Mr. Luo Zhaohui has already introduced this in his opening remarks. The CIDCA has deeply understood President Xi's important instructions, strengthened overall planning, and made key arrangements for promoting "small yet beautiful" projects. Since 2021, a large number of such projects have been set up and implemented. Among them, projects related to Juncao, artemisinin, hybrid rice, the Luban workshop, etc., have become high-quality aid projects and models of "small yet beautiful" projects. For example, Juncao technology replaces wood with grass, which can be used as livestock feed, used to grow edible and medicinal mushrooms , or used in sand prevention and sand fixation, etc. It has been promoted to over 100 countries and is praised as "happiness grass" and "fortune grass" by the local people. It has also solved issues relating to local women's employment. Artemisinin was the first special antimalarial drug discovered and successfully extracted by China. It is a gift of traditional Chinese medicine to the world. We have provided artemisinin technical assistance to Comoros, helping the local malaria incidence rate to drop by 98%, and there have been zero deaths. Hybrid rice technology is a monument in the history of agricultural science and technology in China and has made an important contribution to solving the global food shortage. With the use of this technology, the rice yield per hectare in Mozambique increased from 1.5 tons to 8 tons. Finally, the Luban workshop is a brand project for international cooperation in vocational education created by China. It has trained a large number of professional and technical talents for partner countries. Relevant assistance projects have been implemented in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian countries. Nowadays, "small yet beautiful" has become a frequently used phrase when it comes to China's international development cooperation.
Next, the CIDCA will continue to increase assistance to the "small yet beautiful" projects, implement the 1,000 small-scale livelihood assistance projects announced by President Xi Jinping, and support developing countries in achieving green, universally beneficial, and inclusive development. Thanks!
