2011-03-14 13:27

BEIJING - China will provide 30 million yuan ($4.57 million) worth of emergency humanitarian assistance to Japan to support the disaster relief there, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Monday.

Related readings:  Chinese rescue team leaves for Japan  Chinese associations send condolences to Japan  Wen says China willing to help quake-hit Japan  Tsunami waves to reach China; no serious damage expected

The Chinese government has started its outbound humanitarian emergency relief operations for the quake and tsunami-hit areas in Japan and the first batch of relief materials, including blankets, tents and emergency lights, will be transported to Japan from Shanghai, MOC said in a brief statement on its website.

A massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami hit Japan last Friday, causing widespread destruction and leaving more than 1,000 people dead and thousands missing.

China sent a 15-member international rescue team on Sunday to help Japan with search and rescue operations.