The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Shi Ting WANG has donated supplies valued at about GHC110,000 including 2000 bags of rice, three thousand liters of cooking oil, and six thousand face masks to the Muslim community on behalf of the embassy and the Chinese community.

The donation was received by the Chief Imam Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, National Chief Imam of Ghana.

Representatives from the Chinese community in Ghana, Mr. Tang Hong, President of Ghana Association of Chinese Societies, Mr. Xu Qiang, Executive Vice President of Fujian Chamber of Commerce in Ghana, Mr. Lin Debiao, Vice President of Fujian Chamber of Commerce in Ghana, Mr. Hu Longbiao, Vice President of Wenzhou Chamber of Commerce in Ghana, Mr. Su Zhenyu, Secretary-General of Guangxi Shanglin Association in Ghana, attended the ceremony.

Ambassador Wang expressed best wishes to the Muslims for a happy Ramadan. He said, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, the Chinese people united as one and achieved a staged victory in the war against the epidemic. But China will not forget the support from Africa during the most critical times.

China is the first country to send medical supplies by charted flight to Africa and dispatches many medical teams to Africa to share diagnosis and treatment experiences of COVID-19. Although China’s internal epidemic situation is still complex and the anti-epidemic supplies are not abundant, throughout the world, China is a true friend who has really helped Africa.

Ambassador Wang said that Ghana is in a critical period of anti-epidemic.

“The Chinese people are well aware of the difficulty of fighting the epidemic and know the suffering and feeling of the Ghanaian people, especially many Chinese who have settled in Ghana for a long time. The Chinese chambers of commerce in Ghana actively take action and do their part to fight against the epidemic in Ghana. The Chinese Embassy and the Chinese chambers of commerce in Ghana prepare the supplies as special Ramadan gifts to Muslim friends,” he said.

About the situation of some Africans citizens in Guangdong Province, Ambassador Wang said that the pandemic of COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge to mankind.

“The virus is highly infectious and its transmission is covert. For now, we have found many asymptomatic cases. They don’t have any symptom but they are still contagious. Besides, it is said that the virus could be transmitted by the aerosol. The virus has caused huge damage to us because it is difficult to prevent. So far, there are more than 2 million people infected globally among whom nearly 140 thousands have lost their lives in the world”.

Ambassador Wang said China is the first country that tasted the hardship of epidemic and surely know its severity.

“So we have adopted more rigorous measures than any other countries. Thanks to the rigorous measures, China has become the first country in the world which successfully curb the mass transmission. Though China has got such a staged success, we shouldn’t drop our guard. Now the rigorous measures in China are still going on. And everyone in China should comply with the measures seriously”.

Ambassador Wang noted it is the same in China’s Guangdong Province.

“This province is the hometown of Africans in China. African people choose to live there because the province is friendly to them. When the province adopted rigorous measures, some people complained, some tried to run away, and some even had conflict and confrontation with the law enforcement officers. But these are occasional incidents. In fact, most people are willing to cooperate, just as the majority supports the lockdown”.

Ambassador Wang said “of course, some unpleasant incidences may happen during the process. But in Guangdong, when a couple of people needed shelter, actions by the local authorities followed and no one is tramping on the street now. In the meantime, Guangdong authorities took a number of steps to improve its response. Health measures has been implemented in a non-differential way. Starting from April 13th, measures on Africans who were neither confirmed cases nor close contacts (suspected cases included) had been lifted in a phased way pursuant to relevant containment protocols. A mechanism for effective communication has been established with African consulates general in Guangzhou. In the process, there is no discrimination”.

Ambassador Wang said, all in all, China always sees in Africa brothers and sisters.

“When China is at its peak of epidemic, we gave special attention to the more than 3000 African students in Hubei Province, which was severely hit. During that period, we prioritized the food supply to the African students when the Chinese people were facing a food shortage. At that time, some people accused us for not allowed to go outside. But in fact, it is the rigorous measures China adopted ensured the safety of everybody. The more than 3000 African students stayed safe and sound. This is unbelievable in any other countries, but China made it”.

Ambassador Wang appeal all foreigners including African people in Guangdong could understand the policy and follow the rules of the province.

“This is to protect the safety of everyone there. When talking to people to people relations, China prioritizes Africa. For instance, China is a country that provides the largest number of scholarships to Africa in the world. There is no logic for discrimination”.

The National Chief Imam of Ghana commended China’s donation to the Muslim community and spoke highly of Ghana-China cooperation.

His Eminence said that the donation reflects the sincere friendship between the two peoples.

“Ghana will strengthen cooperation with China and other countries in the world to jointly fight the epidemic. Ghana will control the spread of the epidemic successfully and bring the economic and social development back to normal”.