People showcase their first aid skills at the 5th Chinese Red Cross First Aid Competition held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Sept 11. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) was awarded an international first aid certificate by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) at the 5th Chinese Red Cross First Aid Competition held in Hohhot, capital of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sept 11.

This makes the RCSC the first national Red Cross body to win such global recognition.

Pascal Cassan, head of the IFRC's global first aid resource center, praised the competition and presented the certificate to the RCSC.

According to Cassan, the certificate marks a step forward in the country's efforts to internationalize its first-aid training.

Wang Haijing of the RCSC said during the competition that in recent years, Red Cross societies in China have been training over three million people in first aid every year. The total number of people who know first aid in China is now around 10 million.

According to Wang, the competition is meant to showcase the efforts Red Cross societies across China have made in improving first-aid training and awareness.

Organizers said that the competition attracted more than 400 participants from Red Cross societies throughout China.

Six teams from the Red Cross societies of Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Chongqing won the top honors at the competition.

The Inner Mongolia branch of the RCSC was honored with a special award for its contributions to first aid training.

People are honored for their contributions to first aid training in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Sept 11. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]