China's first batch of medical assistance arrived at Damascus around 7:30 pm on Thursday with medicines and supplies for the use of 5000 personnel and more supplies and medical equipment are on the road to the earthquake-hit country. Photo: Xue Dan

China's first shipment of medical assistance arrived in Damascus around 7:30 pm local time on Thursday with more supplies and medical equipment on their way to the earthquake-hit country, the Global Times has learned. 

Chinese Ambassador to Syria Shi Hongwei and senior officials from Syrian Ministry of Local Administration and Environment and Syrian Arab Red Crescent welcomed the plane carrying with Chinese assistance at the airport on Thursday.

Guo Yang, assistant general-secretary from Chinese Red Cross Foundation who arrived at Syria with the plane told media that the first shipment of assistance included medical supplies and medicines for 5,000 personnel and more materials for medical use will arrive to be delivered to Syrian Arab Red Crescent. 

The Chinese government has attached importance in developing friendly relations with Syria and we believe under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad and joint efforts by the Syrian people , Syria will overcome this disaster and rebuild their homes at an early date, Chinese Ambassador to Syria Shi Hongwei told media.

Syrian officials thanked China for offering help and said China and Syria are friends in deed. They will transfer the goods offered by China to the disaster-stricken area. 

The death toll from a string of earthquakes, with the largest two of 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude that struck Turkey and Syria earlier this week rose to more than 21,000, with at least 17,674 confirmed deaths in Turkey and another 3,377 in Syria, Aljazeera reported. 

Soon after the earthquakes the Chinese government immediately activated its emergency humanitarian assistance mechanism and the first shipment of 40 million-yuan worth of emergency aid was dispatched to Turkey, including heavy urban search and rescue teams, medical teams, and urgently needed disaster relief supplies. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing on Wednesday that China will provide emergency humanitarian aid worth 30 million yuan to Syria, which includes cash assistance of 2 million US dollars and relief materials urgently needed. It is speeding up the implementation of an ongoing food aid program.

While death toll in the two countries continues to climb, rescuers scrambled for survivors trapped beneath the rubble in freezing winter conditions. And the World Health Organization warned on Thursday that survivors could face "a secondary disaster" as cold and snow lead to "worsening and horrific conditions." 

However, years of conflict, humanitarian crisis and unilateral sanctions from the US have brought extra difficulties in helping survivors in Syria, where international aid has been slow to arrive. Media reported that it was until Thursday, the first United Nations aid convoy finally crossed from Turkey into northwest Syria.

In an exclusive interview with the Global Times, Mohammed Hasanein Khaddam, Syrian Ambassador to China, said that the roots of Syria's suffering - the US' long-arm jurisdiction - are further exacerbated by the disaster.

Syria has faced US sanctions since 1979, which have got worse since then. "Many people are still under the rubble," he said. Buildings and infrastructure have been hit hard. Tens of thousands became homeless because large numbers of buildings are dilapidated and uninhabitable due to the first quake and the aftershocks, so the number of deaths is in the thousands and on the rise, with hospitals and medical centers overstretched.

Some aid organizations, including the Damascus-based Syrian Arab Red Crescent, have called for sanctions to be lifted.

American and EU officials have made clear the quake won't change the sanctions. Emergency workers say delays could cost lives, as local rescue crews struggle to pull families and children from the rubble and find housing for survivors amid brutal winter weather, the Associated Press reported. 

Global Times