Move Poised to Improve Humanitarian Record
According to The Diplomat, China spends less that one percent of its international aide to furthering humanitarian causes. The Chinese international humanitarian record has been a topic of concern for world leaders and China saw the fight against Ebola as its chance to prove that it can contribute to world events in a positive way.
An example of what the Chinese have done can be found in a statement released by the State House of Sierra Leone regarding a recent donation of 40 ambulances to fight Ebola. Along with mobile testing labs, these ambulances will help to get infected people the help they need instead of allowing the disease to spread in more rural parts of the country.
The Chinese Expect Nothing In Return
According to China.org, the people of China and the Chinese government are dedicated to staying in Sierra Leone and battling Ebola until there are no more cases of the disease left in the country. China has also announced that it is doing its part to rid Ebola without expecting anything in return. The Chinese want no financial or diplomatic compensation for their role in the fight.
The Fight Has Been Successful
Since the Ebola outbreak in early 2014, 12,000 Sierra Leone residents have been infected and 3,000 of those cases were fatal. But the Chinese efforts have helped to significantly reduce the number of cases to the point where there are only three cases remaining in Sierra Leone’s capital.
The Chinese government has committed to building a permanent and modern Ebola detection and treatment facility in Sierra Leone that will stand as a focal point in the attempts to prevent Ebola from returning to North Africa. The Chinese medical experts will also remain in Sierra Leone to train a new medical staff to take over the facility and continue the fight against Ebola.
China’s Contribution
What has China done, besides donating ambulances and building a permanent treatment facility, to battle Ebola in Sierra Leone? According to The Diplomat, China sent a 59-person medical team to Sierra Leone to battle Ebola and equipped that team with mobile testing and treatment labs, as well as the resources needed to set up fully-equipped temporary treatment centers close to the areas most affected.
China has also donated 10 vans and 30 all-terrain motorcycles to help transport patients found in the areas of Sierra Leone that are harder to get to. Throughout it all, China has maintained that everything it has done for Sierra Leone is done in the name of humanitarian aide, and China will not ask for financial reparations — nor will China stop its fight until Ebola has been eliminated from North Africa completely.
Sierra Leone Publicly Praises The Chinese Efforts
The State House of Sierra Leone published a statement from Sierra Leone president Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma thanking the Chinese for their help and referring to the government and medical workers as “our Chinese brothers” and heaping significant praise on the efforts to eliminate Ebola for good.
Regardless of the Chinese motivation to assist in the battle against Ebola, it is clear that the people of Sierra Leone have benefited tremendously from the gracious help of the Chinese government. The actions of China have considerably improved relations between China and Sierra Leone but, more importantly, the swift and unselfish acts of the Chinese government also saved thousands of lives.
