A report focusing on "small and beautiful" projects in China's foreign aid was unveiled on Tuesday, demonstrating China's commitment and efforts to promote international development cooperation and achieve the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.
The reports is the fifth of its kind regarding China's practice in international development cooperation released by the China International Development Cooperation Agency and the Center for International Knowledge on Development.
A large number of "small and beautiful" projects have taken root worldwide over the years, establishing renowned and widely recognized Chinese foreign aid brands, such as Chinese medical teams, Juncao technology, and Luban workshops, according to the report.
As an important direction and priority of the Belt and Road development, those small-scaled, well-grounded and replicable projects aim to improve people's well-being and boost people-to-people bond in recipient countries, the report said.
They demonstrate the humanistic care and kindness of China's foreign aid and international development cooperation, it added.
In the next step, China will scale up those projects and magnify the comprehensive benefits of the projects based on efforts in top-level design, communication and coordination, diversified participation and management efficiency, it said.
Also on Monday, another report on the country's green development assistance was released as the sixth issue of China's international development cooperation practice.
The report showed that since 2018, the country has carried out 184 assistant projects in green development totaling 30 billion yuan ($4.11 billion), benefiting 75 countries.
The aid, ranging from sustainable agricultural development, clean energy development to climate change response and environmental protection and pollution control, are provided through various ways including technical assistance, materials and complete sets, the report noted.
Hu Zhangliang, vice-chairman of the CIDCA, said that China closely aligns its assistance with the development plans of partner countries, ensuring that improving local livelihoods and well-being remains the key focus.
China will, as always, play an active and important role in global development and continuously expanding the scope of foreign aid and international development cooperation, enriching aid modalities, increasing investment in global development cooperation and strengthening supervision and evaluation of aid programs, Hu said.
China is also willing to strengthen cooperation with developed countries and emerging economies, and carry out tripartite and multilateral cooperation with more international organizations, complementing each other and jointly promote the realization of UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development, he added.
Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashmi, Pakistani ambassador to China, said that China's "small and beautiful projects" and green development financing align with Pakistan's national economic transformation plan from 2024 to 2029, and complement with the upgraded version of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
"We are grateful to China for launching a series of 'small and beautiful' projects in Pakistan...These projects are yet another demonstration of China's enduring commitment to promoting inclusive development," he said.
By fostering partnerships in key sectors through targeted cooperation initiatives, CIDCA is improving local employment and building local capacities, he said, adding that Pakistan is keen to further expand partnership with the agency in broader areas of cooperation.
Zhao Bing, representative of the UN World Food Programme in China, said that thanks to the support of CIDCA and the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, WFP has implemented 53 practical people-centered projects across 36 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, which have impacted the lives of more than 10 million people.
"We serve as a bridge for South-South and triangular cooperation, sharing Chinese knowledge, technology, expertise throughout the Global South countries," Zhao said.
The WFP commits to further deepening and expanding collaboration with the public and private sectors represented by CIDCA, redouble efforts through "small and beautiful" projects and green development projects, so as to leverage additional resources, innovation and technology from China and beyond, in an effort to end hunger and achieve the sustainable development goals for resilient, inclusive future for all, he said.
