DUSHANBE, march 13, 2012, Asia-Plus — On Monday March 12, Mr. Zafar Muhabbatov, Head of the Red Crescent Society (RCS) of Tajikistan, and Mme. Hao Linna, Vice-President of the Red Cross Society of China, signed a cooperation agreement in Beijing, China.
Under this agreement the sides, the sides will exchange information and experience as well implement joint projects, an official source at Tajikistan’s RCS said.
Besides, the Chinese side will help Tajikistan develop the RCS capacities, he added.
The Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan is one of the oldest humanitarian organizations in the country and is providing assistance to people in need since 1927. Currently, RCST implements more than 20 projects in the fields of disaster management, health and organizational development under the financial support of IFRC, ICRC and Partner National Societies.
The Red Cross Society of China is the national Red Cross Society in the People”s Republic of China. It was founded as the “Shanghai International Red Cross Committee” on March 10, 1904. It was established during the Russo-Japanese War. The founders of the Chinese Red Cross were a group of Chinese business and political leaders, led by Shanghai tea merchant Shen Dunhe. Shen chose to use the Red Cross aegis for his group because the neutrality provided by the Red Cross symbol allowed Chinese relief teams into the Manchurian war zones to aid Chinese civilians caught in the conflict between Japan and Russia. Shen created a Red Cross organization made up of wealthy Chinese and prominent Westerners living in China. This new Red Cross Society, supported by government officials, Chinese elites and Western medical workers provided aid to more than a quarter of a million people in China”s northeast.
The ICRC recognized the Red Cross Society of China in 1912 after the establishment of the Republic of China. The Red Cross Society of China formally joined the International Federation in 1919 and was one of the first members.
After the establishment of the People”s Republic of China in 1949, the Communist Party of China reorganized the Red Cross organization in Beijing and it was admitted to the International Federation in 1950 under the name of Red Cross Society of China. A new Red Cross Law was enacted in 1993, allowing the Chinese people to connect with and help each other once again on a private, grassroots basis. The Hong Kong Red Cross and the Macau Red Cross became autonomous members of the Red Cross Society of China after their handover to the People”s Republic of China in 1997 and 1999 respectively.
