BEIJING: China would help Pakistan establish and improve a comprehensive pest control system and effectively improve its ability to prevent and control biological disasters, said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday.

Geng Shuang said commenting on supply of pesticides and spray equipment to help Pakistan fight locust onslaught that China and Pakistan were all-weather friends and strategic partners. The two countries had a fine tradition of helping each other, he said.

He said at his regular briefing held here that considering the urgency of locust control, China had transported a batch of locust control materials to Pakistan, including 50,000 litres of pesticides and 15 high-powered spray equipment of which the first consignment of supplies had arrived in Pakistan this morning.

A new batch of coronavirus test kits was also shipped on the same plane that transported the locust control supplies to Pakistan, he added.

China to help establish pest control system: spokesperson

Shuang remarked that China believed that Pakistani government and people would be able to overcome the locust plague. “We are willing to continue to provide support, strengthen cooperation between the two sides in personnel training, experience sharing and technical support,” he added.

He said that Pakistan was currently fighting a severe locust onslaught and in order to help the country respond to the disaster, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs sent a team of experts of disaster prevention and control to inspect the severely affected areas in Pakistan.

From Feb 23 to March 5, the experts visited a number of disaster-stricken areas in Pakistan and conducted in-depth exchanges with relevant Pakistani departments, and proposed targeted measures, he added.

He said the comprehensive plan devised by China to fight the epidemic had been highly appreciated and recognised by Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2020