Aid Partnership for Post-Sichuan Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction

In order to mobilize the whole nation’s efforts to speed up the restoration and reconstruction in earthquake-hit areas and to provide assistance and support in an orderly manner, a mechanism for aid partnership was set up within China in June 2008.

The program follows the principle of “each province helps one seriously-affected county,” and sets the term of aid partnership at three years.

A total of 19 provinces and municipalities in eastern and central China have paired up with quake-hit areas. Taking into account the economic strength of aid providers and the situation of aid receivers, pairings are as follows:

1. Shandong Province - Beichuan County, Sichuan Province 2. Guangdong Province - Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province 3. Zhejiang Province - Qingchuan County, Sichuan Province 4. Jiangsu Province - Mianzhu County, Sichuan Province 5. Beijing - Shifang City, Sichuan Province 6. Shanghai - Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province 7. Hebei Province - Pingwu County, Sichuan Province 8. Liaoning Province - An County, Sichuan Province 9. Henan Province - Jiangyou City, Sichuan Province 10. Fujian Province - Pengzhou City, Sichuan Province 11. Shanxi Province - Mao County, Sichuan Province 12. Hunan Province - Li County, Sichuan Province 13. Jilin Province - Heishui County, Sichuan Province 14. Anhui Province - Songpan County, Sichuan Province 15. Jiangxi Province - Xiaojin County, Sichuan Province 16. Hubei Province - Hanyuan County, Sichuan Province 17. Chongqing - Chongzhou City, Sichuan Province 18. Heilongjiang Province - Jiange County, Sichuan Province 19. Guangdong Province (mainly by Shenzhen) - Seriously-affected areas in Gansu Province 20. Tianjin - Seriously-affected areas in Shaanxi Province

Aid includes: 1. Planning, architectural design, expert counseling, engineering construction and supervision; 2. Construction and restoration of urban and rural resident houses; 3. Construction and restoration of public facilities, including schools, hospitals, television broadcasting stations, cultural and sports facilities, social welfare facilities, etc; 4. Construction and restoration of infrastructure, including urban and rural roads, water supply and drainage, gas supply, disposal of sewage and garbage, etc; 5. Construction and restoration of agricultural and rural infrastructure; 6. Providing mechanical equipment, instruments and tools, construction materials, and services such as selecting teachers and medical personnel, talent training, non-local nursery and school enrollment, labor export and import, agricultural technology, etc; 7. On a market-oriented basis, encouraging companies to invest in building local plants, setting up trade and circulation service facilities, and participating in commercial infrastructure construction projects; 8. Other forms of aid agreed upon during the negotiation of partnership.