China will provide Pakistan with additional flood relief aid: spokesperson

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China has decided to provide another batch of emergency humanitarian supplies to flood-hit Pakistan, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

According to reports, flash floods caused by heavy monsoon rains have killed over 700 people and displaced more than 300,000 in Baluchistan, Sindh and other provinces of Pakistan.

In response to a media query, the spokesperson said China has taken note of the severe floods raging across Pakistan and the heavy casualties and loss of property that ensued, and expresses sincere condolences to the victims and sympathy to the bereaved families, the injured and the affected people.

Under the social and livelihood cooperation framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China has provided 4,000 tents, 50,000 blankets and 50,000 pieces of waterproof canvas, which have been delivered to the frontlines of disaster relief in Pakistan, the spokesperson noted.

The spokesperson added that Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has expressed sympathy to Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari over the disaster.

Considering the current situation, China has decided to provide another batch of emergency humanitarian supplies, including 25,000 tents and other supplies in dire need, the spokesperson said, adding that the Red Cross Society of China will provide 300,000 U.S. dollars in emergency cash assistance to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society.

China will continue to promote bilateral cooperation in disaster prevention and mitigation and against climate change. It is believed that under the leadership of the Pakistani government and with the joint assistance of the international community, the people in the disaster-hit areas will overcome the difficulties and life and work will go back to normal at an early date, the spokesperson said.