President Hu Jintao
announced new unilateral measures at the UN on Wednesday to help
other developing countries, including providing them with more
aid.
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He said in order to increase assistance the Chinese government has
decided to apply zero tariffs to certain products from all 39 Least
Developed Countries (LDCs) that have diplomatic relations with
China, covering most of their China-bound exports.
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Hu, who arrived in New York the day before for the summit marking
the UN's 60th anniversary, delivered a statement titled "Promoting
Universal Development to Achieve Common Prosperity" at the
High-Level Meeting on Financing for Development.
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He said China will further expand aid programs to Heavily Indebted
Poor Countries (HIPCs) and LDCs and, through bilateral channels,
write off or forgive in other ways all overdue components of
interest-free and low-interest governmental loans as of the end of
2004 within two years. This will apply to HIPCs with diplomatic
relations with China.
Hu said that within the next three years, China will provide
US$10 billion in concessional loans and preferential export buyer's
credit to developing countries to improve their infrastructure and
promote cooperation between enterprises on both sides.
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China will, he added, increase assistance to developing countries
in the next three years, African countries in particular, by
providing them with anti-malaria drugs and other medicines, and by
helping them set up and improve medical facilities and training
medical staff.
Specific programs will be implemented through such mechanisms as
the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation as well as bilateral
channels, he said.
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He said China will help train 30,000 personnel in various
professions within the next three years so as to help developing
countries speed up human resources development.
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Hu said China's development is closely bound up with the
development of the whole world, and the country is ready to work
with others to make the 21st century truly "the century of
development for all."
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He also put forward proposals to implement the Millennium
Development Goals and step up international cooperation on
development.
(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2005)