JUBA - The Chinese government has handed over 14,056 boxes of ready-to-use therapeutic food to the UN children's agency, UNICEF, to help in the fight against child malnutrition in South Sudan.

"We are very proud to be working in association with UNICEF to deliver the nutritional food to children who are in dire need," says Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Hua Ning in Juba.

Hua says that Beijing is committed to scaling up bilateral and multilateral cooperation to help South Sudan address the challenges it currently faces.

"We hope that the donation from China will help to ease the nutritional situation here in South Sudan and we also hope that continued progress of South Sudan's peace talks will help to ease and finally eliminate the root (cause) of the humanitarian crisis," Hua said during the recent donation ceremony.

"We hope that every child in South Sudan will enjoy a better future," the Chinese envoy adds.

Andrea Suley, UNICEF South Sudan Representative says the donation by China will help treat more than 14,000 children with severe acute malnutrition.

Suley says the Chinese aid was timely and lifesaving as South Sudan is in the middle of a food crisis, with about 313,000 children currently suffering from severe acute malnutrition. "This ready-to-use therapeutic food from China will save lives and give children a second chance," Suley says.

XINHUA