China has launched an emergency humanitarian assistance mechanism and will provide emergency aid to quake-hit Türkiye and Syria, said Deng Boqing, deputy head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).

Deng made the remarks when he met with Turkish Ambassador to China and Syrian Ambassador to China respectively on Tuesday and Wednesday, to inform them of the emergency humanitarian assistance provided by China to the two countries.

Deng said that China will offer 40 million-yuan emergency aid to Türkiye, including heavy urban search and rescue teams, medical teams, and urgently needed disaster relief supplies, and it will provide 30 million-yuan emergency aid to Syria, including $2 million cash and urgently needed disaster relief supplies. 

China is also expediting the ongoing food aid program, with 220 tonnes of wheat on its way to Syria and the remaining 3,000 tonnes of rice and wheat to be delivered to the country in two batches, he added.

More than 11,000 people were killed and tens of thousands injured after strong earthquakes jolted parts of Türkiye and neighboring Syria early Monday.

Deng noted that the CIDCA will work closely with the relevant authorities in Türkiye and Syria to ensure that the above-mentioned assistance is implemented as soon as possible.

The Chinese government will continue to provide aid to the two countries within its capacity and in light of the evolving situation and actual needs, he stressed.

(Cover: Deputy head of China International Development Cooperation Agency Deng Boqing meets with Turkish Ambassador to China Abdulkadir Emin Onen in Beijing, China, February 7, 2023. /CIDCA)