Timor-Leste's donation of 500, 000 U.S. dollars to aid victims of the devastating 2008 Wenchuan earthquake is a symbol of enduring friendship and mutual respect between the two countries, said the country's president Jose Ramos-Horta in an interview on Tuesday.
On May 12, 2008, a powerful earthquake jolted Sichuan Province in southwest China, leading to the deaths of more than 69,000 people. Following the disaster, Timor-Leste donated 500,000 U.S. dollars to quake-hit Sichuan, marking its first donation to another country. The country also mourned the victims of the earthquake under the leadership of Ramos-Horta.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) during his recent trip to China, Ramos-Horta said the donation was a tangible expression of the longstanding friendship between the two sides.
"Even though China is one million times bigger and richer than Timor-Leste, for us, it was a gesture of a friend. We are poor, but we are going to contribute to help our Chinese friends. It is our gesture of friendship, of recognition of China," said Ramos-Horta.
At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Timor-Leste's president paid a state visit to China from July 28 to 31. This is Ramos-Horta's first visit to China after he took office in 2022 and the first state visit by a Timor-Leste president to China since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2002.
Timor-Leste's 2008 earthquake donation to China symbol of enduring friendship: president
Multiple United Nations agencies warned on Friday that the prolonged conflict between Lebanon and Israel has led to a surging humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.
At a press conference held by the United Nations Office in Geneva on Friday, officials from UN agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated that as Israel's military operations in Lebanon continue and the humanitarian disaster in Lebanon continues to deepen, there is a general sense of uncertainty and fear among the people.
According to data from UN agencies, nearly 1 million people have been displaced across Lebanon to date, accounting for 20 percent of the total population, and nearly 600,000 people have crossed the border into Syria.
"In recent weeks, Israel dramatically intensified its airstrikes and ground incursions, and this has deepened the humanitarian catastrophe that has affected civilians. The past few weeks have been the deadliest and the most devastating for Lebanon and its people in decades," said Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR representative in Lebanon.
WHO also said in a statement on Friday that the Lebanon-Israel conflict has caused great damage to Lebanon's medical system, as a total of 226 medical staff and patients died in Lebanon between Oct 7, 2023 and Nov 18, 2024, and 15 of the 153 hospitals have ceased operations or are only partially operating in the country.
UN agencies warn surging humanitarian crisis in Lebanon
UN agencies warn surging humanitarian crisis in Lebanon
