The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Disaster Management Cooperation in Jakarta on October 6.

Under the MoU, China will provide 50 million RMB (8 million USD) to support the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme, the operation of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre), and the ASEAN Secretariat’s capacity building programmes on disaster management, according to the ASEAN Secretariat’s press release.

ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh hailed the signing of the MoU as a milestone in the developing partnership with China in the area of disaster management.

Underscoring the importance of working together, Minh said “the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is the initial step in strengthening the partnership between China and ASEAN. The tasks ahead would require further dialogue and interaction to fully implement the MOU.”

Yan Xiuping, Ambassador of China to ASEAN, stated that “it is the first time that China provides grant to ASEAN through multilateral mechanism.”

Through this grant, China hopes to help countries affected by disasters, she added.-VNA