What men can do, women can do as well and demonstrates the importance of women in society.

The comment was made by the Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Qian Bo during the handover ceremony of the donated items by All-China Women’s Federation at the Ministry of Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation warehouse in Vatuwaqa yesterday.

The batch of goods donated was to help the ministry weather the cyclone season.

The items were donated by All-China Women’s Federation to the Ministry of Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation.

They include 80 water purifiers, 50 first aid kits, 4000 sanitary napkins, 3000 non-woven bags, 300 solar lamps, six generators, and 150 moisture-proof pads with a total value of FJ$85,000.

Mr Qian said in China, there was a popular saying about women and that was women hold up half of the sky which meant that what men could do, women can do as well, and demonstrated the importance of women in the society

“There is another popular saying about children and that is that children are the followers of the motherland, and they are the hope and future of the nation,” he said.

“The sayings have suggested that how important the Ministry of Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation is for Fiji.

“I am quite aware that as we approach the new cyclone season, necessary preparations to minimise the possible damages and losses are undertaken.

“I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Fijian Government for the success of the rollout of vaccination, ensuring the safety of women and children and the smooth functioning of the society. As a good friend and strategic partner to Fiji, China always stands together with our Fijian friends.”

Previous help from China

He added that shortly after Tropical Cyclone Yasa and Ana struck Fiji, the Chinese government acted in a timely manner and donated over FJ$1.5m to help with Fiji’s disaster relief.

He said various Chinese communities, organisations, and enterprises in Fiji also joined the local society in rebuilding the damaged homeland.

Mr Qian also highlighted that on December 3, the China-Pacific Island Countries Reserve of Emergency Supplies was formally launched in Guangzhou.

He said it aimed to help the Pacific Island Countries improve their ability to cope with major public health events and natural disasters in the future.

Long-standing relationship

Assistant Minister for the Ministry of Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation, Veena Bhatnagar said the relationship between China and Fiji was long-standing and China had supported us in Aid many times, especially when Fiji faced a crisis.

“The friendship between my Ministry and the All-China Women’s Federation also dates back to almost a decade, particularly during the time of the former Minister, late Dr. Jiko Luveni,” Ms Bhatnagar said.

“I am so happy that years down the line, the All-China Women’s Federation remains committed in this friendship with the Ministry especially in terms of supporting the needs of Fijian Women.

“We hope, we are able to reciprocate this kind gesture with something within our means someday, even if it means applying the knowledge and best practices, we have learned from them over the years.

“We are grateful for this donation and while we hope we don’t have a cyclone, we are a little content to know that we are prepared proactively,” Ms Bhatnagar said.

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