13 Sep 2020

The Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Kabo Morwaeng, says Botswana appreciates continued support from China. 

Speaking at an event to hand over a batch of medical supplies from China in Gaborone on September 10, Mr Morwaeng said Botswana took pride in the beneficial relationship between the two nations. 

He said even though China had challenges of its own, it demonstrated willingness to share its resources with Botswana. 

Chinese Embassy donated 80 ventilators, 70 oxygen generators, 600 infrared thermometers, 30 000 N95 face masks and 50 000 surgical face masks. 

For his part, the Chinese Ambassador, Dr Zhao Yanbo, said the COVID-19 pandemic had provided an opportunity for the transformation of globalisation and improvement of international relations. He indicated that China’s economic re-opening had not only ensured a continuous global supply of medical products, but also injected impetus for the world economy to get back on track. 

Dr Zhao said China would work with Botswana to plan for bilateral cooperation in the next phase and to help communities resume production in pursuance of sustainable development. 

“Together we can drive away from the clouds of COVID-19 with the sunshine of cooperation and deliver a better tomorrow for our nations,” he said. 

Dr Zhao said the fight against COVID-19 demonstrated that scientific response was the right way to win the battle. 

He pointed out that the experiences and lessons of fighting SARS, MERS, H1N1, Ebola and other major infectious diseases conveyed that only science and technology could find the solution. He spoke against allowing politicisation and stigmatisation of COVID-19 to undermine global cooperation. 

He indicated that in China, scientists isolated the first COVID-19 strain within one week and shared the genome sequence of the virus with the world in a timely manner, providing the fundamental information needed for research on medicine, vaccine and treatment. 

He said in Botswana, the Presidential COVID-19 Task Force Team worked with medical workers across the country to conduct pandemic prevention and control with science and professionalism, further stating that he was touched and inspired by heroes who risked their lives to safeguard people’s lives amid the pandemic. 

Dr Zhao said according to WHO, there were now a number of vaccine candidates, including three from China that had entered the third phase of clinical trials. 

He said should China’s COVID -19 vaccines be put into use, they would become global public goods and African countries would be among the first to benefit. 

Dr Zhao pointed out that the virus respected no border and races, indicating that in light of the challenge to all humans without distinction, WHO had made a major contribution in leading and coordinating the global response. 

He said in implementing the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China had shared anti-pandemic experience with more than 170 countries and donated and exported medical supplies including 150 billion masks, to more than 200 countries and international organisations. 

He indicated that during the Extraordinary China- Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19, China president, Xi Jinping, pledged that China would continue to give support to Africa. 

He stated that such efforts had shown the firm determination of China and Africa to defeat COVID -19 with solidarity and cooperation. Dr Zhao also hailed Batswana for following government call to wear masks and keeping social distancing saying that was one of the reasons Botswana had been able to keep the virus under control. 

Dr Zhao attributed medical workers, the first responders, community volunteers and all those fighting on the front line saying they were the heroes. 

He said confronted by the ravages of the pandemic; China and Botswana had tackled the virus head-on and forged extraordinary solidarity in the fight with mutual support, adding that the fight against COVID-19 once again consolidated China and Botswana brotherhood.  ends