(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-23 15:05

BEIJING -- "We need tents and makeshift houses, More than five million of the quake affected needs proper shelters," said Li Chengyun, vice governor of China's quake-hit Sichuan province Friday at a press conference.

On Thursday, President Hu Jintao visited two tent manufacturers in east China's Zhejiang Province, urging them to produce as many as possible to meet needs of the quake survivors.

Since the massive earthquake destroyed many houses, and reconstruction would take time, tents would become makeshift shelters for homeless people in these regions.

The government said it needs some 3 million tents to house the nearly 5 million people displaced by the massive May 12 earthquake in southwestern Sichuan province. Many outdoor travel products and supplies companies have been enlisted to manufacture tents.

Hu visited two manufacturers in Zhejiang and urged them to ensure the quality of their products while speeding up production.

So far 400,000 tents have been transported to the quake-hit areas, which were far from enough, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Thursday.

Foreign countries have promised to donate 151,900 tents, among which 11,500 tents had been delivered to the quake areas, he added.