China's well-being assistance crucial for many: China Daily editorial

In a report released in June, the OECD projected a 9 to 17 percent drop in official development assistance in 2025. This comes on top of a 9 percent drop in 2024, and the outlook beyond 2025 remains highly uncertain.

For the first time in nearly 30 years, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States all cut their ODA in 2024. And their announced cuts for 2025 mean that for the first time all of them have cut their ODA simultaneously for two consecutive years.

With the major developed countries cutting their development aid, there have been voices asking what hope is there for the developing countries to improve their public health and social welfare services as well as their overall living standards.

The fact that China promised early this year to give an additional $500 million to the World Health Organization over five years, as the United Nations agency was seeking extra funding to offset the expected loss of its top donor, the US, speaks volumes about how China is trying to provide what hope it can.

At a time when the US has significantly cut its funding to its international aid programs, especially those run by the US Agency for International Development, China's commitment to the well-being of people in the Global South remains firm. This was demonstrated again last week when China pledged $3.49 million to support HIV prevention services in South Africa over the next two years under a new partnership facilitated by UNAIDS.

This is in sharp contrast with the decision the US made early this year to axe funding for the HIV program, which has enabled some of the world's poorest people to access antiretroviral drugs and has saved more than 25 million lives worldwide since the program was launched in 2003.

In terms of the assistance China has provided to healthcare in developing countries, Africa is a case in point. China had sent more than 25,000 medical teams to African countries by last year, providing medical treatment to 230 million patients, and had established a total of 94 work points in over 40 African countries.

In October, it was announced that China would advance the China-Africa Health Silk Road by initiating the local production of essential medicines such as insulin, antiretroviral drugs and vaccines. This will help address the continent's shortages and reduce its reliance on imported pharmaceuticals. Global health agencies have reported that Africa imports almost all its vaccines and over 70 percent of its essential medicines. China's move will help narrow the gap between public health needs and medical supply capacity.

Under the Belt and Road framework, China has signed economic cooperation pacts of various kinds with more than 150 countries and 32 international organizations.

China has also put forward the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative, which are aimed at promoting inclusive development and common security for all countries, exchanges between different cultures on an equal basis, and a fair and just global order through global governance reform.

It is to be hoped that the major developed countries will realize how important inclusive development is for the building of a better future for all, and they will join hands with China to advance the development of a community with a shared future for humanity.