BEIJING, Oct. 11 -- China stands ready to provide whatever help it can for the reconstruction work in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, which were rocked by a 7.6-magnitude quake on Saturday morning.
Premier Wen Jiabao made the promise yesterday while
extending "deepest sympathies" and condolences for the loss of human lives and
properties in the three affected countries.
He also expressed confidence that the people of the three nations would overcome the difficulties and succeed in rebuilding their homes and lives.
 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (1st R Front) meets with Pakistani Ambassador Salman Bashir (2nd R Front), Afghan Ambassador Qiamuddin Rai Barlas (2nd L) and charge d'affaires of the Indian Embassy Vinay Kwatra in Beijing Oct. 10. (Xinhua)
President Hu Jintao had sent condolence messages to
the three countries shortly after the quake.
In a meeting with their ambassadors and diplomats in
Beijing, Wen noted that China's rescue team had already started relief work in
Pakistan.
The Ministry of Commerce yesterday sent US$1 million
in cash and shipped 90 tons of relief materials including tents, blankets and
quilts to Pakistan. On Sunday, the first consignment was sent along with a
49-member rescue team.
China has promised to Pakistan humanitarian
assistance that includes US$6.2 million worth of relief materials and funds.
More aid is on the way today and tomorrow.
The Red Cross Society of China yesterday offered
US$100,000 and US$50,000 in cash to Pakistan and India respectively.
A Hong Kong woman and her two sons who were
unaccounted for in Pakistan after the quake were found safe and sound, the
Chinese Embassy revealed yesterday.
But South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
yesterday confirmed the identity of the Chinese engineer who was killed in the
Pakistan quake.
Huang Bingkun, 39, was an engineer at the Guangxi
Hydro-electrical Bureau. He was sent to northwestern Pakistan's Allai Khwar
River area in February last year to work on a hydropower station project.
Huang's remains will be cremated in Pakistan in the
next few days, a Guangxi official said.
At yesterday's meeting with Premier Wen, the
ambassadors and diplomats expressed appreciation to the Chinese Government and
its people for the timely assistance.
Salman Bashir, Pakistan's ambassador to China, said
China was one of the earliest countries to offer assistance and dispatch a
rescue team to his country, a testament to the traditional friendship between
the two countries.
(Source: China Daily) |