国内英语新闻:China continues support for Sierra Leone despite waning Ebola fears: ambassador

FREETOWN, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese ambassador to Sierra Leone Zhao Yanbo has said China will not stop its support to Sierra Leone until the Ebola disease is over.

Zhao made the remarks when he was making a presentation of 60, 000 sets of medical personal protective gears and 40,000 sets of community personnel protective equipment airlifted to Sierra Leone by a Chinese chartered flight in the weekend.

Zhao told Sierra Leone's Health Minister Abu Bakar Fofanah Thursday that China will despatch 5,000 thermometers by January 30 as Sierra Leone's government announced the reopening of schools in March.

He was happy to note that the figures are reducing and that there "was light at the end of the tunnel". The ambassador pointed out that since the outbreak in May 2014 they wasted no time in coming to the aid of the country by bringing in supplies and have continued the gesture.

He went further to tell the minister that "as Ebola is slowing down we have started preparing for post Ebola as that will be a bigger challenge for the government".

"We will be there to help in what ever way we can to develop Sierra Leone," he assured.

Fofanah commended the ambassador, noting that China started assisting Sierra Leone even before President Ernest Koroma's call to the international community.

"China", he said, "is the only country that is still responding to us when other countries are scaling down because the virus is slowing down".

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ebun Strasser-King said China has demonstrated that they "are brothers" in the Ebola fight. "We are grateful, the president is grateful for what you have done, " he said.