By He Yin, People’s Daily
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the Forum on the 20th Anniversary of Juncao Assistance and Sustainable Development Cooperation, hailing the gigantic role played by the unique Chinese technology of Juncao in international development and cooperation.
Xi emphasized that China is willing to work with relevant parties to continue to contribute China’s wisdom and China’s solutions to the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and make Juncao technology a “grass of happiness” that benefits people in developing countries.
Over the past 20 years since the Juncao technology was firstly introduced to other countries, it has made important contributions to promoting local economic development and livelihood. It demonstrates China’s sincerity and actions to advance global poverty reduction cooperation, promote common progress and contribute to global sustainable development.
The Juncao technology generates economic, social and environmental benefits, and the Chinese government has long used it to serve human development.
When Xi was working in Fujian province, he personally promoted the building of the first overseas demonstration base for Juncao technology in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2001, raising the curtain for China’s international cooperation on the technology.
He also witnessed the signing of a series of aid programs between China and PNG related to new Juncao technology and dry land rice planting when paying a state visit to the Pacific island country in 2018.
So far, the technology has been introduced to over 100 countries and is generally welcomed by developing countries.
President of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, said the technology has made an important contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals set in the 2030 Agenda, from poverty eradication to clean energy, gender equality to preserving biodiversity.
Juncao, an herbal plant for growing edible mushrooms, is connecting people around the world. Over the past 20 years, China has vigorously promoted Juncao technology cooperation with developing countries, which vividly mirrors its commitment to global poverty reduction and sustainable development.
The successful promotion of the technology once again proves that Chinese development cooperation programs, with a focus on development and livelihood improvement, aims to enhance the welfare of the people. Considering developing countries’ respective resources, as well as development level and demands, these programs bring technologies and advocate independent development. To ensure lasting impact, China guarantees that every project achieves good results and is effective, and helps countries localize project management.
Speaking of the assistance brought by Juncao technology cooperation to local development, President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadera said President Xi attaches high importance on Chinese and global poverty reduction. He noted the people have always been the beneficiaries of pragmatic cooperation in each field, and practices tell the importance of international cooperation.
Development is meaningful only when it is inclusive and sustainable. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, President Xi has proposed the vision of a global community of shared future and the Belt and Road Initiative. China is committed to pursuing the greater good and shared interests, and upholding the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith for developing relations with other developing countries and the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness for expanding relations with neighboring countries. To this end, President Xi has taken advantage of many major international occasions to announce a broad range of cooperation measures. These present China’s approach, offer its vision, and contribute its strength to resolving global development issues and implementing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Right now, the world is caught between a pandemic of the century and momentous changes never seen in the last one hundred years. The journey to sustainable development would be a long and arduous one.
At the critical moment, China’s sense of responsibility is even more important. Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, the country has carried out its largest emergency humanitarian action since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, and fulfilled its promise of making COVID-19 vaccines a global public good. It has made important contributions to building a global immunity barrier.
China, being the first country to recover positive economic growth from the pandemic, has played a vital role in safeguarding the secure and smooth operation of global industrial and supply chains, and created more spillover effect for global recovery.
Besides, the country has also stepped up efforts with relevant parties to jointly construct the Silk Road of Health, the Green Silk Road and the Digital Silk Road, as well as the Belt and Road Initiative, to deliver confidence in and strength of development to the international society.
The COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging the world, and global development is still imbalanced and inadequate. Countries must join hands and inject new energy into global development with more responsibilities and practical measures.
China will keep advancing global anti-pandemic cooperation, enhancing global development cooperation, and shouldering international responsibilities, to offer as much assistance as it can for developing countries to achieve sustainable development and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind together with the rest of the world.
