On February 28, Charge d’Affaires Mr. Meng Hao attended the handover ceremony of relief supplies donated by China to Zambia and delivered a speech. H.E. Mutinta Hichilema, First Lady of Zambia and Dr. Gabriel Pollen, National Coordinator of Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit(DMMU) and other officials attended the event.

In his speech, Mr. Meng Hao said, In recent days, continuous heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in many parts of Zambia, resulting in the loss of lives and property. Over the years, China and Zambia have shared weal and woe and stood by each other. The Chinese people could feel the Zambian friends’ suffering from the floods. At the request of the Office of the First Lady, the Embassy gained detailed information on the flood victims’ needs and got in touch with suppliers. With its unremitting efforts, the Chinese Embassy has collected and donated 1,800 bags of mealie meal and 300 blankets for disaster relief. It is hoped that this will help the victims ease their suffering and recover from the flood as soon as possible. There is a Chinese saying that goes, “When disaster strikes, help arrives from all sides.” As a sincere friend of Zambia, China will, as always, focus on how to help the Zambian people improve their lives and develop their country. Furthermore, China will join hands with Zambia to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

    H.E. Mrs Hichilema said that so far, as many as 66,000 families in 34 regions of Zambia have been affected by the adverse weather, a large number of farmland has been flooded and many people have been displaced. She thanked the Chinese Embassy for donating mealie meal and other supplies, which is of great significance to relieving the victims' living difficulties. She also appealed people from all walks of life for coming together to help compatriots in trouble.

    Many media outlets attended and reported on the handover ceremony.