Chinese medical contingent of the 22nd peacekeeping mission to Lebanon on Thursday offered free health care services to people living in the southern border area at the invitation of UNIFIL's Sector East Command.
Chinese peacekeepers visited a village located less than five kilometers to the Lebanon-Israel border. Villagers there have long suffered from a lack of medical resources, and the ongoing conflict escalation between Lebanon and Israel is exacerbating this situation.
In response to the invitation, the medical contingent immediately dispatched a team of 12 medical staff members, equipped with various instruments and more than 10 categories of drugs, to provide free medical examinations and treatment to villagers.
"We not only provided local villagers with physical examinations, medical treatments, and professional health consulting services, but also offered free medications to patients. In the future, we will regularly organize charity clinics, medical outreach programs and other activities to make our utmost effort in helping ease the difficulty of getting medical care for the local people," said Zhu Mingliang, a member of medical contingent of China's 22nd batch of peacekeeping team to Lebanon.
To address the health care challenges faced by villagers with limited mobility, the medical team specifically formed a mobile clinic group to provide medical services at their doorsteps.
"We thank the Chinese medical team for their selfless help to the villagers. You have provided such professional and thoughtful medical services, effectively alleviating their pain and burden. Thank you to our friendly Chinese doctors," said the village leader.
Since its deployment in last December, the Chinese medical contingent has not only performed various peacekeeping tasks but also actively engaged in humanitarian assistance activities, including charity clinics and donations, receiving wide acclaim from the locals.
Chinese peacekeepers in Lebanon offer free healthcare services to locals
Chinese peacekeepers in Lebanon offer free healthcare services to locals
A number of university students in the U.S. capital have shared their views on China's initiative to invite 100,000 young Americans to visit the country for exchanges and study over the next five years.
The program was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping when addressing a welcome ceremony at the White House during his visit to the United States from Wednesday to Friday.
Many of the students interviewed expressed their hope to visit some well-known places in China like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.
"My dad's been to China for work, and he really loves it, so I'd love to go sometime. Maybe Shanghai. That's where my dad went, and he really liked it there," said a student.
"I've heard of Guangdong. I've heard of the basketball team," another student said.
Many of the students agreed that allowing more young Americans to experience Chinese culture in person would be beneficial for both countries.
"I think that's really cool to have the opportunity to connect with those cultures. And I really do like that idea. I think it's a great idea to invite us to China. It's great," said a student.
"I feel like the culture. I feel like getting the opportunity to immerse yourself in different cultures is really important," said another student.
"There's definitely value in traveling to other places and learning other cultures. So I think that it can be beneficial," said another one.
Even beyond cultural exchange, the students expressed their beliefs that American youth could learn a lot from Chinese society.
"I think, for me personally, it's the scale, with how many people live in China. I would definitely be interested in seeing how that functions, especially in those larger cities," said a student.
"I think I would like to know what their people are like. What are their thoughts on the world? On what the world should be like?" one student said.
"I think China's amazing. They're so far ahead. We're supposed to be the Western world, but I feel like they're so much more advanced than us in so many ways. I know AI and medicine are big things right now, and I think China has made huge advancements in that. So probably that," said a student.
The students also hope that the program will help strengthen China-U.S. relationship, promote educational exchanges, and broaden the horizons of those who take part.
"It's better for both countries to be connected and to build a better relationship over the coming years. And I think that's important to global peace and prosperity," said a student.
"I think it's really a great thing. I think different cultures, combining different cultures, and education is such a global thing, and having different students come all over the place and take classes here and there," said another student.
"There's a lot more to this world than what's right in front of us. And there's a lot to learn from different ways of seeing things around the world. So I think it could be valuable from that standpoint," a student said.
US students share views on China's plan to invite 100,000 young people for study, exchange
