Medics from the Xigaze detachment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Xizang Contingent have reached out to local villagers affected by a massive mudslide that hit the China-Nepal border on Wednesday, offering them medical checkups and psychological counseling services.
The mudslide occurred in Nepal on Wednesday morning and caused heavy casualties and massive destruction at the Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, Xigaze City, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
As of 15:00 on Friday, the death toll had risen to five and 558 people remained missing on the Chinese side, according to Xizang's emergency management department.
The Laojiang Village, located 7.7 kilometers from the Gyirong Port, was considered at risk of secondary disasters, and the villagers were swiftly evacuated to resettlement sites.
The PLA medical personnel visited households at the resettlement sites from door to door, conducting medical check-ups and distributing medications for common high-altitude illnesses and post-disaster conditions, so as to ensure timely treatment for the injured and sick people.
"We are so grateful to receive medicines from the People's Liberation Army. We have all been resettled here and received great care. We are very grateful," said a local villager.
Another medical team has been deployed to Jipu Village in Gyirong County, providing health check-ups, delivering medicine, and providing one-on-one psychological counseling to evacuated villagers.
"Our main goal in visiting the Jipu Village this time is to reach out to the families in disaster-stricken regions, provide them with psychological counseling, and offer them medical checkups and medicines," said Tenzin Choedon, a member of the medical team.
PLA medics reach out to mudslide-stricken villagers in southwest China's Xizang
Residents of Bishkek say the growing practical cooperation among member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is bringing tangible improvements to everyday life, from cheaper goods and new transport links to easier study opportunities, as the city prepares to host the 2026 SCO summit.
In separate interviews with China Global Television Network ahead of the summit, local residents highlighted a range of concrete changes.
One pointed to the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway now under construction.
"The benefits of the SCO became noticeable in recent years. A railway is being built. When the construction of this railway is completed, conditions will be created for us to fully leverage SCO opportunities," he said.
Two other residents credited improved logistics and regional connectivity for making goods more affordable.
"Thanks to the existence of the SCO, our lives have changed quite a lot, because many goods have become cheaper, and new opportunities have opened to order from marketplaces," they said.
With stronger mutual trust among member states, cross-border travel, education cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges have also expanded.
"If you have seen on the road, there are signs in Chinese, in Russian, and some signs in Kyrgyz which help you navigate around. Plus, studying has become easier, there are more grants, and admissions are easier. And the Chinese themselves welcome us very well in their country," one interviewee observed.
Others noted the growing presence of Chinese electric vehicles and other tech products as a sign of greener development and closer trade ties.
"As for technology, electric vehicles are everywhere now, all cars are becoming electric. Scooters are also electric. Everything is coming from China," a resident said.
Asked about the SCO's and China's roles in promoting multilateralism and global governance amid the complex and volatile international landscape, residents described them as important forces for stability and win-win cooperation.
"I think that in such a tough period it is very important that China helps maintain border connectivity, because of which we have the opportunity to cooperate between countries and transport goods. And I think that this is very important at the present moment," said one of the two girls.
"The railway, the Chinese railway, is reaching us, passing through. In trade, economy and tourism, everything is becoming connected with China now," said the other.
Kyrgyz residents say they value SCO outcomes as Bishkek summit draws near
