Chinese Premier Wen Jiaobao urged rich countries here Thursday to double donations to the UN World Food Program over the next five years and to do more to cancel or reduce debt for poor countries.
"I wish to propose that donor countries double their donations to the World Food Program (WFP) in the next five years and the international community do more to cancel or reduce debts owed by least developed countries and give zero-tariff treatment to their exports," he told a UN summit on global poverty.
Describing his country as "a big and responsible developing country," he noted that "although not rich, it has honored its commitments to the Millenium (Development Goals) and done what it can to help least developed countries."
He said that by the end of last June, Beijing had canceled a total of 3.6 billion dollars of debts for 49 heavily indebted poor countries in Asia and Africa.
China also provided 30 billion dollars in aid of various forms, including 13 billion dollars in free aid, and offered zero-tariff treatment to goods from 42 least developed countries, he added.
And Wen said that in order to revive the lagging battle to achieve the MDGs, particularly in Africa, China planned to send more agricultural experts to developing countries and contribute 30 million dollars to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Beijing will also cancel outstanding interest-free loans extended to least developed countries that mature before the end of 2008 and give zero-tariff treatment to 95 percent of products from the least developed countries, he added.
And he said over the next five years, China would build 100 small-scale, clean energy projects for developing countries, including small hydropower, solar power and bio-gas projects.
The poverty summit — taking place amid heightened concern about the impact of the global financial crisis — is hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Nicaragua's Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, the current president of the 192-nation UN General Assembly.
Ban said the aim was to galvanize world support to ensure that eight MDGs agreed by world leaders in 2000 are met by all countries by 2015. Africa is trailing the rest of the world in the race to achieve the MDGs.
The MDGs include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating diseases such as HIV/AIDS, ensuring environmental sustainability and creating global partnerships for development.
