China Announces Unprecedented Grain Aid to Horn of Africa

Posted September 26th, 2011 at 12:05 am (UTC-5)
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China has announced an $82 million donation of grain and cash for drought relief in the Horn of Africa, saying it is the biggest donation of its kind since the Communist Party seized power in 1949.

The official Xinhua news agency said Sunday the first shipment of emergency food aid left the Chinese port of Tianjin on September 2.

The donation is dwarfed by World Bank promises to boost aid to the famine-stricken region to $1.88 billion, up from $500 million already allocated. The United States is the largest single nation donor to the region with pledges of nearly $650 million.

However, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Saturday in New York that China's $82 million donation includes its largest allocation of grain assistance since the founding of modern China.