Subject: China took prompt actions after Qinghai Earthquake.

At 7:49 a.m. on 14 April, a deadly earthquake of 7.1-magnitude hit the Yushu County in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Yushu in Qinghai Province, northwest of China. The severe earthquake has claimed 791 lives, left 11,486 people injured (including 1,176 serious cases), 294 people missing, as of 8 a.m. 16 April (local time). Over 15,000 houses collapsed and about 100,000 people were left homeless.

Immediately after the devastating earthquake, the Chinese Government took prompt reactions. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have urged all-out efforts to save lives and provide assistance to people affected. They asked authorities to step up precautions in case of aftershocks and make sure people in the disaster-hit area were taken good care of. They also called for efforts to safeguard social stability in the quake-devastated region.

The State Council of China has set up a quake-relief headquarters, with Vice Premier Hui Liangyu as the head, to take care of disaster relief, epidemic prevention, seismic monitoring and public security.

President Hu Jintao postponed visits to Venezuela and Chile after a scheduled summit of BRIC slated for Thursday and a state visit to Brazil, Premier Wen postponed a scheduled visit to Brunei, Indonesia and Myanmar on April 22-25, in order to participate in the relief work as soon as possible. Premier Wen has flown to the stricken area on Thursday afternoon, after Vice Premier Hui Liangyu has been to the stricken area on Wednesday, to inspect the disaster damage, to visit and console affected local people and to lead the government rescue efforts. Premier Wen said upon arrival that saving lives is the top priority and he pledged not to give up while there is still hope.

At this moment, thousands of professional rescuers, soldiers, police officers, fire-fighters and medical workers have been mobilized nationwide to the quake zone, fighting altitude sickness, chilly weather, strong winds and frequent aftershocks to find survivors and treat the injured. The Chinese Government is working all-out to restore and rebuild infrastructure in the quake-hit areas, and provide whatever is necessary to sustain the people's lives. As of Friday morning, about 500 injured residents had been transported to the provincial capital Xining, Chengdu in Sichuan Province, and Lanzhou in the neighboring Gansu Province, for better treatment. The Chinese Government would like to express the appreciation for the solicitude and sympathy shown by the International Community.