Witnesses recalls moments of helping PNG

Past and Present photos of Butuka School.[Photo: China Plus]

Over the years, China has played a significant role in Papua New Guinea's development in various sectors, including education, health and social work.

In the past ten years, the Chinese government has issued scholarships to over 440 Papua New Guinea students to study in China.

Under the request of Papua New Guinea, China has also helped build part of the campuses of the West Pacific University in the Pacific island country.

The construction of Butuka School in the capital city of Port Moresby was completed recently. The school is part of an aid project by China's southern city Shenzhen.

Ma Shuai from China Construction Steel Structure was in charge of the construction work of the school. He says the new school, together with its experienced teaching staff, has impressed the locals.

"Papua New Guinea's minister for APEC affairs told us that the school is definitely the best in the country, maybe even the most beautiful school in the entire Pacific island countries. The school is unique as it integrates pre-school as well as primary and secondary school. Local people are very interested in how to send their children there," says Ma Shuai.

In the field of health care, China has dispatched 9 batches of medical teams to Papua New Guinea for 16 consecutive years.

The two countries have also teamed up with Australia to carry out anti-malaria campaigns in the Pacific island nation.

On Papua New Guinea's Kiriwina Islands, the anti-malaria team from China's Guangdong province carried out three rounds of medicine distribution campaigns to 45-thousand local residents, to contain the spread of the epidemic.

Song Jianping is a professor who leads malaria prevention projects in many countries around the world, including Papua New Guinea. He says it was an emotional moment when locals shared their meager resources with them to show their gratitude.

"The resources on the island are scarce, but the villagers still send their rice and beef to us. They are reluctant to eat them but are willing to give them to us"

There are currently over 40 Chinese-funded enterprises in Papua New Guinea, creating jobs for more than 8,000 local people.

At the same time, the Chinese companies actively undertake social responsibility initiatives, lending a hand in community building work and other related charity activities.

Zhou Hui, a human resources manager from China Railway Construction Engineering Group is one of the people participating in the social responsibility initiatives. She regularly leads her colleagues to local charities to help those disabled.

"The Papua New Guinea center of our company has been helping local center for the disabled. We volunteer to help them in our spare time. As time goes by, we have built a strong friendship. I still remember one day, when an old man took out his old guitar and played a Christmas song. Though we couldn't understand, we could feel the deep emotions and friendship that she expressed," says Zhou Hui.

In the field of agriculture, the dry rice and fungus planting projects in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea carried out by China's Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University are yielding significant economic and social benefits.