By Nouf Ahmad
NINGXIA, China, Jan 12 (KUNA) -- The contributions of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development in China were praised by a senior local Chinese official on Tuesday during a visit of Kuwaiti high school students.
KFAED has funded 35 varied projects in China, worth a total USD 887 million, which focus on roads, airports, ports, railway tracks, hospitals, the environment and education.
On the city of Suzhou, located in the eastern Anhui Province, contributions worth USD 32 million have helped improve living standards there after the signing of two loan agreements in 1999 and 1996 with an interest rate of only 2.5 percent, according to the Communist Party of China Ningxia Committee Secretary.
A KFAED-funded initiative in the city, which aims to protect residents and public property from frequent floods, has focused on three primary factors. These include tackling floods by the use of water pumps, the rehabilitation of waterways in the city and the treatment of sewage.
Mentioning these efforts, the CPC Party chief also commended KFAED's role in building hospitals and schools, and tackling poverty in Suzhou.
The meeting was followed by a visit to a museum in the city which shed light on the impacts of these projects and their social, economic and environmental benefits to the local community. They later met with several nearby farmers who expressed their appreciation for KFAED's efforts.
Jawa Al-Muzael told KUNA she was left delighted upon witnessing the evident sense of joy expressed by the local farmers due to the initiatives.
Another student felt proud to be a Kuwaiti national. "I am proud to be from a nation that always seeks to put a smile on the faces of others," said Khadija Al-Failakawi. "This experience has enhanced my feelings of affection and generosity." (end) naa.sd