Beijing has expressed profound gratitude to the government and people of Bangladesh for observing national mourning day and hoisting the national flag at half-mast in respect to the victims of China earthquake and Myanmar cyclone.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka yesterday said the Bangladesh government is committed to providing every kind of assistance within its capability to China, which is happily appreciated by the Chinese government and the people.
“A true friend is known in the days of adversity,” MuYongpeng, the chief of Political Section, said at a press conference at the embassy.
Only Bangladesh and Peru have so far declared the mourning day for the quake and the cyclone victims in China and Myanmar.
The State Council of China declared national mourning from May 19 to 21. In the wake of the earthquake, the ongoing torch rally for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, slated to begin on August 8, was suspended from Monday to Wednesday.
In reply to a question, Yongpeng said if needed, the Chinese government would accept Bangladesh's offer for medical assistance for the quake victims.
The death toll in the earthquake that struck Wenchuan County of southwest China's Sichuan province on May 12 rose to 40,075 till May 20. The death toll was estimated to exceed 50,000 while about 32,361 people are still missing.
The quake, worst in 32 years, left about 247,645 people injured and more than five million people homeless.
Yongpeng said the direct economic losses are estimated at about $ 9.5 billion.
He said 113,080 troops from the Chinese People's Liberation Army and armed police were sent to the disaster region for search and rescue tasks.
Some 33,434 people were rescued while 360,159 people and tourists, including foreign tourists, were safely evacuated.
A total of 115 medical teams and thousands of volunteers from all over the country poured in the region.
Yongpeng said the international community quickly responded after the earthquake. Japan, Russia, ROK and other countries sent rescuing and medical professional teams to China and made contributions to the disaster relief.
“At present, all the relief work is underway. We've the confidence and courage to overcome the difficulties caused by the shock and return normal life in the disaster region,” he said.
The financial aid from the international community has surpassed $ 2.46 billion till May 19.