China will dramatically increase its emergency assistance to the tsunami-hit countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said here Thursday.

Though China is a developing country with a relatively low per capita GDP, it will spare no effort to provide assistance for the disaster-hit neighbors, Liu said at a regular press conference.

China will increase its emergency assistance to the tsunami-hit countries in terms of both goods and monetary donations. China has already donated 21.63 million yuan (about UD$2.615 million) worth of relief goods to the disaster-hit countries.

In response to the heavy casualties and property losses some south and southeast Asian countries have suffered, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing held an emergency meeting with other relevant government departments on December 29 and decided to greatly increase the amount of aid.

Liu said China will send a 100-odd-member medical team to tsunami-ravaged Indonesia. Besides, a 35-member rescue team headed by Zhao Heping, deputy director general of the State Seismological Bureau, will leave for Indonesia.

The Chinese Ministry of Health will organize many other experts to fly to the disaster-hit regions Thursday, including 15 experts in epidemiology and infection who are leaving for Phuket via Bangkok. Twelve surgeons from south China's Guangdong Province will head for Thailand Friday. Five DNA experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences will help the Thai government for victims' identification, said Liu.

Liu said the relief goods worth 10 million yuan (about US$1.2 million) arrived in Sri Lanka Wednesday and the first batch of goods worth 5 million yuan (about US$600,000) to Indonesia is expected to arrive in Sumatra this evening.

According to statistics from the Foreign Ministry, so far two Chinese citizens have died and 13 have been injured in the disaster.

The dead include one from Hong Kong and one from Taiwan, Liu said. The wounded include three from Hong Kong, three from Zhejiang, two from Shanghai, four from Beijing and one from Yunnan, Liu said.

Liu said the Chinese government is maintaining close contacts with the relevant countries and exerting the utmost effort to rescue Chinese citizens stranded in the tsunami-hit regions.

"The Chinese government expresses condolences to the Chinese compatriots who fell victims in the disasters and wishes to help people in disaster-hit countries to rebuild their homes as soon as possible," Liu said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2004)