Generosity Without Borders

Foreign missions actively participate in China’s effort to alleviate poverty

- Li Xiaoyu

Traditional Pakistani costumes, souvenirs from Greece, Russian gourmet food and Egyptian handicrafts were just some among a wide variety of goods and products on display at the Love Knows No Borders International Charity Sale 2019, an annual event initiated by Qian Wei, wife of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Nearly 90 embassies and representative offices of international organizations in China and 50 Chinese enterprises and public institutions participated in this 11th edition of the event on October 27, 2019, in Beijing.

The international products at this event were all sold for charity, with the revenue from the sale going toward assisting poverty alleviation in Yunnan Province, southwest China.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Qian said the charity sale had become a window for different countries to showcase their cultural and ethnic diversity over the last decade. It had also “grown into a platform for the Chinese people to interact with the world at close range, and a gathering for all those with love and kindness to offer,” she said.

Since its inception in 2009, the event has raised over 22 million yuan (approximately $3.3 million) to finance infrastructure construction projects in Jinping and Malipo counties in Yunnan.

For the past 28 years, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has been partnering with foreign governments, international organizations, and overseas Chinese in its effort to assist the fight against poverty in Yunnan, raising more than 400 million yuan ($60.9 million) as poverty alleviation fund. The charity sale is just one example of this commitment.