China will give half a million US dollars to Central Asian
countries to support their human resources development, said
China's Vice Finance Minister Li Yong.
The money will come from the Regional Cooperation and Poverty
Reduction Fund (RC Fund) set up by China at the Asian Development
Bank (ADB), said Li at the Ministerial Conference on Central Asia
Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) in Urumqi.
"China actively supports regional economic cooperation in
Central Asia," said Li.
China provides technological aid for the area's agricultural
development, environmental protection and capacity building through
the RC Fund, and supports cooperation in prevention and control of
AIDS and bird flu, said Li.
China is committed to providing US$20 million to Central Asian
countries between 2005 and 2009. It established the RC Fund last
March to promote regional cooperation in reducing poverty among the
developing member countries of the ADB.
In June 2004, China gave Kyrgyzstan 60 million yuan (US$7.5
billion) in aid to build a 937-kilometer highway linking the
country with China and Uzbekistan.
From 2006 to 2008, the ADB, together with the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, the International Monetary Fund,
the Islamic Development Bank, the United Nations Development
Program and the World Bank, will invest US$2.3 billion in regional
transport, energy and trade infrastructure in Central Asia, with
US$1.4 billion coming from the ADB.
Created by the ADB in 1997, CAREC is a regional cooperation
mechanism focusing on transport, trade and energy initiatives that
are critical to the economic performance of the region.
It is also financing infrastructure projects in order to improve
living standards and reduce poverty in CAREC countries.
(Xinhua News Agency October 22, 2006)