The Japan Official Development Assistance (ODA) has donated nearly 60 million yuan (US$7.3 million) worth of medical equipment to the People's Hospital in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
``The new equipment has greatly improved the level of our medical examination and treatment,'' said Han Xizhong, head of the hospital. ``I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Japanese Government and people for the assistance on behalf of the staff of my hospital.''
Japan began aiding China in its modernization in 1979.
Since then, Japan has provided China with gratis funds, technical support and loans which have been invested into infrastructure construction, agricultural development, environmental protection, medical treatment and other fields across the country.
During the past 20 years, Beijing has used ODA loans to construct the Beijing-Qinhuangdao Railway and subways, expand the airport and develop sewage treatment plants.
By 2000, the total amount of ODA to China had reached 190 billion yuan (US$23 billion) and accounted for more than half of the amount of development assistance that China had received worldwide.
Japan offers the most foreign aid to China, with Germany and Britain ranking second and third, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
President Jiang Zemin expressed thanks to the Japanese Government and its people for the 20-year long co-operation between the two countries when he visited Japan in 1998. Premier Zhu Rongji also showed gratitude for the contribution that Japan has made in China's modernization during his visit to Japan last year.
However, as China rapidly develops and Japan continues to face a sluggish economy, the Japanese Government encounters mounting disapproval at home. Critics of ODA argue that China is strong enough to develop by itself.Some also voice worries that China will become a huge military power and threaten Japan's security.
According to a report from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, further ODA to China will focus on the development of western China and environmental protection and will help promote mutual understanding and trust between the two nations.
(chinadaily.com.cn 09/18/2001)
