Xi hails Red Cross role in forging bonds

From providing emergency relief and medical assistance in regions affected by disasters or conflicts to promoting international dialogue on humanitarian principles, the Red Cross Society of China has deepened global cooperation in the past five years and is planning to further upgrade its foreign aid mechanism and engage in international emergency rescue action.

In a letter sent to the 12th general congress of the RCSC, which opened on Wednesday in Beijing, President Xi Jinping called on the organization to focus on high-quality development and further improve its capability in providing humanitarian services.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the RCSC serves as a bridge and a bond connecting the Party and the government with the people in humanitarian field.

He called on the organization to deepen reform and innovation, strengthen credibility, improve humanitarian service capabilities, and actively participate in and support international humanitarian cause to help bolster the nation's modernization drive and contribute to promoting human peace and progress.

Xi emphasized that Party committees and governments at various levels should strengthen leadership and support for Red Cross work to foster a better environment for Red Cross organizations to fulfill their obligations.

The Red Cross Society of China, which was established in 1904, currently has 17 million members and 2.93 million volunteers.

Over the past five years, the organization has offered emergency humanitarian assistance to 16 Asian countries, 10 European nations, 13 African countries and five countries in the Americas and Oceania to help them fight epidemics, according to a report delivered to the general congress, which will conclude on Thursday.

The RCSC has also sent medical experts to battle epidemics in Iran, Iraq and Italy, and donated 1.6 million vaccine doses to 12 countries, including Lebanon, Ethiopia and Cambodia.

It has delivered emergency humanitarian assistance worth $10.7 million to 54 countries and sent material aid to regions affected by the 2023 Turkiye-Syria earthquake, the Ukraine crisis and other major disasters or conflicts.

The RCSC has established funds and initiatives targeting countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and some developing nations. For example, a humanitarian aid program for seriously ill children benefited 309 youngsters with congenital heart disease in Afghanistan and Mongolia.

China, as one of the vice-president states of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from 2019 to 2022, also participated in the significant decision-making process of the IFRC and in the governance of the Red Cross movement globally.

The RCSC held a number of forums and events aimed at advancing international communication of humanitarian efforts.

The report to the organization's general congress said the RCSC will take a number of measures to intensify cooperation with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in the future.

Systems for delivering humanitarian aid overseas will be improved and practical cooperation with Red Cross societies in countries and regions involved in the BRI will be ramped up, the report emphasized.

The RCSC will seek to engage in international emergency rescue missions through multilateral channels and will support China's regional Red Cross societies' engagement in global cooperation projects, it added.

During the opening ceremony on Wednesday, Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong called on the RCSC to enhance its core capabilities in delivering humanitarian aid and emergency rescue and care, as well as in promoting blood, bone marrow and organ donations.

Liu, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said it is important for the RCSC to help weave a tighter safety net to ensure basic livelihoods while beefing up international cooperation.

According to the organization, it now has about 1,000 emergency teams comprising over 100,000 members, specializing in search and rescue, healthcare, water supply or public hygiene. It also manages 1,100 emergency material reserves, and their total stock of regular items is maintained above 2 million.

The RCSC has conducted first-aid training for more than 15 million people in the past five years and installed 65,000 automated external defibrillators in schools, communities, public transportation depots and other public facilities, in order to promote first-aid skills among the public.

Thanks to its continuous efforts in spreading awareness about organ donation, the number of registered donors has exceeded 6.89 million, and 169,000 organ transplants involving 54,000 posthumous donors have been carried out.