China will airlift emergency aid to the earthquake and tsunami-struck
countries in South and Southeast Asia, Premier Wen Jiabao said Monday.
Premier Wen extended sincere condolences on behalf of the Chinese government
to the effected countries by calling leaders of those countries, including
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul
Gayoom, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda
Rajapakse, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Myanmar Prime
Minister Soe Win.
"The Chinese government and people are sympathetic with friendly neighboring
countries and people," Wen said, expressing China' s willingness to offer the
possible support and help to relieve the disaster.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of
Finance are working to carry out the aid provision work.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.7 according to the China Earthquake
Administration, hit at 6:58 am (0058 GMT) Sunday off the west coast of the
Indonesian island of Sumatra. The tsunamis swept across the Indian Ocean hours
later without any warning. In some areas, walls of water up to 10 meters high
uprooted and sweptaway anything they met.
The death toll is being reported at more than 20,000, and is still rising.
