A large scale water infrastructure project that saw the joint cooperation among China, Cook Islands and New Zealand has improved the people's life and promoted the economic development of the Cook Islands, Prime Minister Mark Brown has said.
Brown made the statement in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on February 15 in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeast China.
Te Mato Vai, meaning "water source" in the Maori language of the Cook Islands, is the name of a significant water infrastructure project.
This project is particularly noteworthy as it is a result of collaborative efforts involving China, New Zealand and the Cook Islands.
This form of cooperation is not only unique to the region where the Cook Islands are located, but is also quite exceptional on a global scale.
"It was a first of its kind in the world, where China with the Cook Islands partnered with New Zealand as a third partner to be able to achieve the outcomes of this particular project which was to upgrade the water system on the island of Rarotonga, the main island of the Cook Islands, a system which had been in place for nearly 100 years and [which] obviously needed upgrading. By collaborating as three nations in this particular project, we were able to share and spread the cost of the development amongst the three countries," Brown said.
He noted that the project is of significant meaning to the Cook Islands.
"It was an important project for us simply because the old water system. When it was periods of heavy rain, you would have muddy water coming through the taps. When we had periods of long dry seasons, there would be nothing coming through the taps. That project I would say has provided a huge increase in the quality of water that is now provided around the islands. So when it does rain now, the water is still maintained clean because of the intake system we have with filtration, the cleaning of water, the removal of debris from the water that comes through our taps," Brown said.
It's an all-win project that both improves the life of the people living in the island country but also boosts economic progress, said the prime minister.
"This was the largest infrastructure project that we had entered into since the construction of our international airport. So it's a significant project. It provides one of the basic necessities, not just for life, but also for economic development, and that is a good clean water supply. So it is a project that in our our minds was very successful," he said.
Water system up-gradation benefits people, boosts growth: prime minister of Cook Islands
China will take more effective measures to improve people's wellbeing, especially in education, healthcare, and social security, an official said Thursday in Beijing at a press conference on the interpretation of this year's government work report, which was submitted to the national legislature for deliberation earlier in the day.
Shen Danyang, head of the government work report drafting team and director of the State Council Research Office, said centering on enhancing educational equity and quality, the report made arrangements for education at all educational stages and of all types.
"Regarding preschool education, the policy of free education in the year prior to entering primary school will continue to be implemented this year, which is commonly referred to as free admission to the senior class of kindergartens. So, how can the income reduction of kindergartens be addressed? Subsidies will be provided by both the central and local governments, with the central government taking the lion's share. This year, the funds allocated to support the development of preschool education will increase significantly by 37.8 percent to ensure the implementation of the beneficial policy," he said.
Regarding senior high school education, Shen said the report stated that the supply of regular senior high school places will be increased,
Specifically, for areas with a continuous net inflow of population, a number of regular high schools will be planned and constructed on an annual basis. For regions with a temporary shortage of school places, priority will be given to the renovation and expansion of existing teaching buildings, student dormitories and canteens, he said.
Shen said the report put forward many supportive measures in healthcare.
"For instance, it urged efforts to strengthen coordination in drug use at the grassroots level, which mean improving the list of essential drugs, and optimizing the channels for drug supply and drug use coordination between upper- and lower-level medical and health institutions to make it more convenient for the public to use drugs at their doorstep. Besides, the report has made arrangements for supporting the development of innovative drugs for the third consecutive year. This year, China will strengthen the coordination of supportive policies in an all-round way, further address issues such as the barriers facing innovative drugs entering hospitals, and better meet the diverse medical and medication needs of the people," he said.
In terms of social security, Shen said the report proposed to continue raising the minimum standard of basic pensions for urban and rural residents -- a policy will benefit over 180 million elderly people.
"The central government will allocate 1.25 trillion yuan (about 181.25 billion U.S. dollars) in subsidy funds to ensure the timely and full payment of pensions. In response to the insufficient protection of the rights and interests of people engaging in new occupations, the report proposed to steadily and orderly expand the scale of the pilot program for occupational injury insurance. This year, the policy will cover 31 provincial-level regions across the country and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Meanwhile, enterprises specializing in travel, instant delivery and intra-city freight delivery will be included in the pilot program, which will ensure the safety of more laborers, such as food delivery workers and online car-hailing drivers," he said.
China to improve people's wellbeing in education, healthcare, social security: official
