Emergency relief sent to quake-hit Vanuatu

China has delivered a batch of emergency relief supplies to Vanuatu, to meet the needs of those affected by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that hit the southwestern Pacific island country on Dec 17.

A chartered plane sent by the Chinese government carrying 35 metric tons of supplies, including tents, folding beds, solar-powered lights, food, water purifiers and medical equipment, arrived in Vanuatu's capital Port Vila on Thursday.

The supplies were provided at the request of the government of Vanuatu and reflected the friendship of the Chinese people toward the people of Vanuatu, said Li Ming, spokesman for the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

Li Minggang, the Chinese ambassador to Vanuatu, said at the handover ceremony on Thursday that as a good friend and brother of Vanuatu, China feels for the great loss caused by the recent quake.

China is willing to continue providing assistance within its capacity for post-disaster reconstruction in Vanuatu, Li said.