Chinese company donates UAVs to fight locust, COVID-19

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

China’s Shenzhen Sunwin Intelligent Co Ltd has donated five Industrial UAVs (drones) to Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on June 24. 

On behalf of the NDMA, Muhammad Irfan, Trade and Investment Counsellor of Consulate General of Pakistan in Guangzhou, attended the donation ceremony in Shenzen. 

Addressing at the ceremony, Pakistan’s Trade and Investment Counsellor appreciated the gesture of the Chinese people, expressing the hope that the friendship between the two countries will be even stronger in future. 

The donation of Sunwin at a critical time when Pakistan was fighting fiercely against both COVID-19 and the locust attack was deemed yet another reflection of iron-clad friendship between Pakistan and China. 

Zhou Yong, Chairman of the Board of Sunwin, stated that China and Pakistan were all weather strategic cooperative partners and the bond of friendship between the two nations has always been unbreakable and rock-solid. 

He recalled that right after the breakout of the COVID-19, Pakistan had mobilized the whole nation to support China. 

“You throw a peach to me, and I give you a white jade for friendship. Now, as Pakistan is in trouble, Sunwin, a Chinese sci-tech enterprise, should embrace our responsibility. We would like to bring our good products in agricultural crops protection to Pakistan and share our experiences in the pandemic control and prevention with the local government and people,” he added. 

Sunwin told China Economic Net that the five Industrial UAVs, with a total value of 200,000 RMB (about $28,291), will depart from China’s Guangzhou and be sent to Pakistan soon. They will assist Pakistan’s fight against the pandemic and locust attack. 

Saiying, a type of drone made by Sunwin, has been used to kill locusts in Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan and other places since February 2020, according to Zhou. 

Saiying drone has become a special instrument with super power to destroy locusts for its high efficiency of spraying and disinfecting, strong adaptation and remarkable effect. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic spreading in Pakistan, unmanned aerial vehicles could also play an important role in disinfecting, monitoring and temperature measurement. 

After knowing that Pakistan was still in need of drones, Sunwin contacted both of Chinese and Pakistani embassies and made production and donation plans. 

Sunwin was established in 1997 and listed in Shenzhen Stock Exchange in January 2010. It is a leading enterprise in the field of smart city and also a leader in artificial intelligence in China. Sunwin’s main business interests cover four sectors, smart city, big data, artificial intelligence, and culture and education.