By Brigadier General Santo Domic with the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of South Sudan
After more than two years of learning in China, I have gradually understood the connotation of the phrase “the Chinese military and people are as inseparable as fish and water”.
During my past two years in China from Nanjing to Beijing, inside and outside of the military academies, I have read and heard of many stories about the close ties between the Chinese troops and people taking place in the military’s participation in earthquake rescue and disaster relief to fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic, from joining in local efforts in poverty alleviation to flood fighting. In China, the army loves the people and the people support the army, which is a tradition and I have been deeply touched by the close bond of future shared by the army, the nation and the people.
As of the end of May this year, the targeted poverty alleviation campaign conducted by the Chinese military has helped 4,100 poverty-stricken villages, 293,000 poor households, and 924,000 poor people get rid of poverty. The Chinese military is a rare and unique force in the cause of poverty reduction across the world.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the people’s army under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). While completing military tasks, the PLA will also support the economic and social development, into which the poverty alleviation falls. Furthermore, the Chinese military has possessed abundant resources and natural advantages in education, medical services and infrastructure construction.
Poverty alleviation requires constant dedication. The rock-solid confidence and hard-bitten perseverance of the Chinese soldiers have left a deep impression on me. No matter what difficulties and challenges they face, they never lose courage nor give up, thanks to their fighting spirit of fearing neither hardship nor death. I have learned that many military units in China have been continuously working on poverty alleviation for many years with rotations of troops.
The Chinese military loves and safeguards peace. In South Sudan, Chinese peacekeepers have protected local civilians, built roads, and provided medical and material assistance to local people. They have established a close friendship with the people of South Sudan. Also, the Chinese military is always proactive in giving a helping hand within its capacity to people in other countries in such operations as naval escort, medical assistance, and international humanitarian assistance, and so on.
Eliminating poverty is a dream shared by all countries and peoples in the world. The Chinese military’s participation in the fight against poverty sets an example for other countries. The mutual love and support between the Chinese military and the people will also help China achieve greater development.
(The article is written based on the interview by reporter Gong Qifang and correspondent Zhang Ziqi with the PLA Daily, and then be translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online.)
