China sends third shipment of rice aid to the Philippines

An online handover ceremony for the third shipment of rice donated by China to the Philippines was held on Oct 21. Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian and Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development of the Philippines Rolando Joselito Bautista attended the ceremony.

Huang said the Philippines is a populous country and a major rice importer. President Rodrigo Duterte attaches great importance to food security and takes the elimination of starvation and malnutrition as a top priority. Since last year, the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters such as typhoons and flooding have posed grave challenges to the Philippines. China urgently raised and transported 2,000 tons of rice to the Philippines. He said China will honor its commitment and deliver the promised 10,000 tons of rice within the year to help lift the Philippines and its people out of their predicament. 

Huang pointed out that China has solved the problem of feeding and clothing its 1.4 billion people under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China with decades of efforts. As a friendly neighbor of the Philippines, China is willing to share its experiences and technology and has carried out in-depth cooperation with the Philippines in fields such as hybrid rice, agricultural irrigation, supply assistance and human resource training, which has enhanced the Philippines' food production capacity and food security. China is the third-largest export destination of Philippine agricultural products and the second-largest import source of Philippine agricultural products. China's investment in Philippine agriculture, which covers areas such as rice growing, feed production and mariculture, has been expanding over the years. The two countries' cooperation in agriculture has been deepening and become a new growth point in bilateral cooperation. China is willing to join hands with the Philippines in deepening concrete cooperation in agriculture and other areas to benefit people in both countries, Huang added.

Bautista extended sincere appreciation to the Chinese government for the rice aid and pledged to allocate the rice to the people who need it most as soon as possible. He acknowledged the deep friendship between the two countries and believes that with joint efforts by both countries, the Philippines will defeat the COVID-19 pandemic in the near future.

This shipment of rice was 2,000 tons in total and is the third shipment of the 10,000 tons of rice that China has promised to the Philippines. The fourth shipment is on the way. To date, a total of 6,150 tons of rice has arrived in the Philippines, benefiting almost 1 million people. The rest is expected to be delivered within the year.