Chinese President Xi Jinping recently announced that the Chinese government would donate 500 million yuan ($82 million) to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea as well as relevant international organizations to help battle Ebola. China will also send more health experts and medical staff and help set up a treatment center in Liberia.

The latest round of Chinese aid to help West African countries fight the Ebola outbreak came after another three rounds in April, August and September.

China gives out rounds of aid to Africa because the two have always shared a community of common destiny. We have gone through difficulties together as brothers, friends and partners. Whenever China is faced with hardships, it receives support and help from the African people.

Therefore since the epidemic broke out, China has sent medical staff to join locals in preventing and treating the highly infectious disease. They have conducted training for local doctors, provided diagnoses in communities and spread knowledge of Ebola prevention. These actions have been widely applauded by the governments and people in these African countries.

China helps Africa also because no country can be immune to such a major disaster. With economic globalization deepening, far distant parts of the world have never been closely connected with each other as today.

The Ebola epidemic may look like a local issue that occurs in underdeveloped countries at the beginning, but in a global village it is definitely capable of breaking the international prevention system and threatening the safety of the whole of humanity.

Therefore, in addition to aid, China has called on the international community to cooperate with the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response and offer aid according to the roadmap of the World Health Organization, so as to ensure that well-coordinated aid across the world can be more targeted and effective.

China is willing to explore trilateral cooperation with relevant countries and organizations on the basis of Africa's need, consent and participation, and help the African people win the battle against Ebola.

The public health problems in Africa are fundamentally a development issue. Countries ravaged by the epidemic, such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, all lack public health resources due to their lack of development. What's worse, the Ebola outbreak is badly affecting the economy of these countries and hence forms a vicious cycle.

Under these circumstances, the world needs to help African countries improve their public health and epidemic prevention systems as soon as possible and enhance their capabilities to handle crisis as well as control diseases.

Moreover, aid to and investment in Africa should be increased to help countries on the continent develop their economy, improve people's well-being and achieve independent and sustainable development.

China is willing to share its experiences and opportunities of development with African countries, boost our cooperation and transfer capacities to Africa so as to push forward the development of the continent's systems.

China is also willing to invest more in sectors like health, disease prevention and control, and medical care under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. We'd like to help African countries establish effective disease prevention and control system at national level.

We are deeply convinced that with the concerted efforts of the global community, the Ebola epidemic will ultimately be defeated.

The author is an observer of international affairs based in Beijing. [email protected]