Friday, August 20, 2010

China to send more humanitarian aid to Pakistan

China said on Friday it would send 1,000 tents and other emergency equipment to Pakistan to help with the nation's devastating floods.

The news comes as Richard Holbrooke, the US point man on Pakistan, called on China, which has already sent 60 million yuan (8.8 million dollars) in aid, to “step up to the plate” with regards to helping the flood-hit country.

The United States has pledged a total of 150 million dollars to Islamabad.

China’s defence ministry said that the aid, which includes 69 sets of machines such as generators, draining and water-purification devices, would be airlifted to Pakistan “in days,” according to a report on its website.

Nearly 1,500 people have been killed by the devastating floods in Pakistan, whose Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Wednesday that 20 million people had also been affected.

China is itself battling with its worst floods in a decade, which have left thousands dead or missing.

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