China to provide assistance to earthquake-hit Afghanistan, Pakistan

BEIJING -- The Chinese government is busy preparing emergency aid for earthquake-hit Afghanistan and Pakistan and is willing to provide further assistance based on their needs, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesman Lu Kang said at a routine press briefing that the Chinese people deeply sympathize with the people of the two neighboring countries.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolence to his counterparts in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In his messages, Li mourned the dead and extended condolences to their families and the injured in the two countries.

In both messages, Li said that as a neighbor, China enjoys profound friendship with Afghanistan and Pakistan and that the Chinese people can feel the pains of the two peoples in face of the disaster.

He pledged assistance and support within China's capacity to help peoples of the two countries overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homes.

China's Red Cross will also provide 100,000 US dollars in cash to the Red Crescent Society in each of the countries, according to Lu.

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake with a depth of 210 km hit the Hindu Kush mountain range in northern Afghanistan at 0909 GMT on Monday, killing at least 350 people in Afghanistan and Pakistan and causing massive damage.