China offers support for mine clearing

Nation will help ASEAN regions still facing threats from explosive remnants

China will offer more support for mine-clearing operations in the ASEAN region in the next three years, especially those regions still facing severe threats from land mines, a senior official of the department of arms control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

Half of the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines still haven't completely freed themselves from the threat of land mines and explosive remnants of war, said Ma Shengkun, deputy director-general of the arms control department.

He made the remarks during the High-level Regional Dialogue of the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.

The dialogue aims to enhance regional cooperation and resource mobilization in removing land mines and explosive remnants of war.

"Land mines and explosive remnants of war pollute land, endanger the lives of civilians, affect people's normal life and hinder the sustainable development of the regional economy. Despite the continuous progress of mine-clearing operations in the ASEAN region with the joint efforts of all parties, the mine situation is still grim," Ma said.

As a country once affected by mines and a partner of the ASEAN region, China has always attached great importance in assisting ASEAN countries to clear mines.

He added that in addition to providing funding and equipment, China has helped to train about 600 mine-clearing experts from the ASEAN region who are key in achieving the center's goal of making the ASEAN region free from the risk and impact of mines and explosive remnants of war.

This year, 40 people from Cambodia and Laos took part in a three-month training session on mine-clearing skills at the Army Engineering University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in Nanjing.

The PLA is currently taking part in the multinational joint mine-clearing operation in Cambodia code-named "Pure Homeland-2023", which will last until the end of September, Ma said.

Oum Phumro, deputy director-general of the Cambodian Mine Action Center, said Cambodia is one of the countries worst affected by land mines and explosive remnants of war.

"We addressed probably half of the problem from 1992 to 2022, but we still have around 2,000 square kilometers of contaminated land to be cleared. Also, there are people being injured or killed by land mines probably on a monthly basis. The mines still have a great impact on the communities," Phumro said at the dialogue.

Phumro added that clearing all the mines remains an extremely challenging task despite new technologies, and the country needs continued and consistent support from China to be mine-free as soon as possible.

Prum Suonpraseth, executive director of the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center, said that since the beginning China has been actively involved in the activities of the center, which was established during the 21st ASEAN Summit in 2012.