At a recent press conference of the Foreign Ministry, an official said China will help Nepal in its post-earthquake reconstruction. Later reports said the Ministry of Commerce is drafting a detailed plan for the purpose. What should China do to make the assistance effective?

Of course, China needs to provide some emergency relief in the short term to help the survivors. But more importantly, China should help Nepal resume its economic activities for sustained development. As a Chinese saying goes, donating blood to a patient is good, helping the patient form its own blood cells is better.

Such experience has proved very effective for China. After a more disastrous earthquake hit Wenchuan in Sichuan province in 2008 claiming close to 70,000 lives, a TV team met a senior citizen who was rushing back to the quake-hit area after it was declared safe because he wanted to harvest his crop. It is this strong spirit and confidence that helped the Chinese people to overcome the shocks and sufferings of the Wenchuan quake. Nepalese people are also confident to rebuild their homes and China should offer them necessary help to do so.