BEIJING - More countries on Monday sent messages of sympathy and solicitude to China over the recent snow havoc in southern parts of China.
In his message to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora expressed his concern and sympathy to those affected by the snow storm and wished the Chinese people a happy Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year.
Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana also sent a message to express his sympathy to people in the snow-stricken areas.
The worst winter weather in five decades in China has snarled the country's central, southern and eastern regions over the past three weeks and brought huge economic losses.
In the past four weeks, the snow and cold weather has killed more than 80 people, toppled 300,000 homes, damaged 90 million hectares of crops and resulted in direct economic losses of about 80 billion yuan (US$11.1 billion), according to the Red Cross Society of China.
