China donates demining equipment to Cambodia, start-up funds to ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center

China on Thursday donated mine clearance equipment to Cambodia and start-up funds to the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center.

The 500,000-U.S. dollar donation included office equipment worth about 250,000 dollars to Cambodia, and start-up funds of 200,000 dollars and office equipment worth about 50,000 dollars to ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center, Chinese Ambassador Bu Jianguo said.

"China, as a friend and neighbor of Cambodia, pays great attention to the impact of mines in Cambodia and has made positive efforts with the international society in demining while providing assistance to rehabilitation and reconstruction in Cambodia," the ambassador said.

Bu said the donation fully embodied the basic rationale of China's neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and its principle of bringing harmony, security and prosperity to the neighborhood.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said his country had suffered a lot from landmines left over from past wars for many years. These landmines still constitute a serious danger to the life and property of its people and the reconstruction process.

"The Chinese government has been offering unselfish assistance to Cambodia for many years in the process of mine clearance," he said. "The government and people of Cambodia are very grateful to China for providing this humanitarian aid."

Cambodia is one of the countries in the world that are worst affected by landmines. An estimated 4 million to 6 million landmines and other munitions had been left over from three decades of wars and internal conflicts that ended in 1998.

According to Ma Shengkun, counselor for the Arms Control Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China began to provide demining assistance to Cambodia in 1999.

"China, as a friendly neighbor of Cambodia, shares the agony of the Cambodian people. Therefore, China provided humanitarian demining assistance to Cambodia upon its requests for many times," he said.

Prak Sokhonn, first vice chairman of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, projected his country would need about 360 million dollars in the next decade to totally eliminate mines and explosive remnants.

"The donation demonstrates again the good friendship of the two countries and sincere attitude of the Chinese government to resolve the mine issue in Cambodia," he said.

China's support for the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center would help further enhance ASEAN-China relations, he added. Enditem