Help us out: European Union's man in Hong Kong wants wealthy Asian countries to ease burden of Syrian refugee crisis
As Europe deals with its biggest humanitarian crisis in decades, its representative in HK wants wealthy states such as China to help refugees
Asia's rich countries, including China, can do more to help ease the full-blown international crisis caused by the war in Syria, whether by donating to humanitarian agencies or by playing a more active role in peace talks, the European Union's top man in Hong Kong says.
"What we do stress is that this is not just a regional problem, it is a global problem about people ... threatened by conflict," said Vincent Piket, head of the EU's office in Hong Kong and Macau.
His comments come as the EU's 28 member states grapple with the challenges posed by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees on their shores.
Figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs show China contributed just US$14 million for humanitarian work in Syria in the past 41/2 years, compared to US$4.2 billion from the United States, US$1 billion from Germany and US$1.5 billion from the UN. Even South Korea put in more, at US$15 million.
READ MORE: Our common humanity must guide action to solve the refugee crisis in Europe and elsewhere
Piket said his office was working not just to raise awareness of the refugee crisis - which has received minimal attention in Asia - but also urging Asian countries to support work to cope with what has been dubbed Europe's biggest humanitarian crisis since the second world war.