Fijian President meets China's Red Cross chief

Fijian President and Patron of the Fiji Red Cross Society Ratu Epeli Nailatikau on Friday met in the Government House with Hua Jianmin, president of the Red Cross Society of China and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China.

Hua thanked Nailatikau and the Fijian government for the long- term support to China on international affairs, expressing his admiration for Nailatikau's support to the Red Cross cause.

Humanitarian needs in many countries surged as the result of changing climate conditions and complicated international circumstances, calling for cooperation strengthening, advanced idea sharing and joint tackling of challenges within the big family of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement , said Hua.

The fact that President Nailatikau is the Patron of the Fiji Red Cross Society shows that the Fijian government acknowledges the significance of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement in social development, and reflects the spirit of humanity in governing the South Pacific country.

Welcoming and thanking the visit of the Chinese Red Cross delegation led by Hua, Nailatikau said that over the years, Fiji and China have always kept close, sincere and friendly relationship, and the relationship will keep developing.

Faced with surging domestic humanitarian needs, the Fiji Red Cross Society has done a lot of work that proved to be effective, but it still needs to learn advanced ideas and experience from its Chinese counterpart in order to meet the needs of Fiji's vulnerable groups, said Nailatikau.

Arriving in Fiji on Thursday, the Chinese Red Cross delegation is on a three-day working visit to the South Pacific country and is expected to visit the Fiji Red Cross Society's headquarters and branches and meet with officials there, learning advanced experience and discussing the strategy of development for the two Red Cross societies.