China considering more assistance to quake-hit Haiti

BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- China said Thursday it would consider more assistance to quake-hit Haiti and hoped the United Nations could coordinate the post-quake reconstruction.

"We will continue to make every effort to participate in disaster relief and reconstruction," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu at a regular news briefing.

After a 7.3-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti on Jan.12, China sent a 60-strong search and rescue team to Port-Au-Prince, capital of the Caribbean nation, and the Red Cross Society of China donated 1 million U.S. dollars in emergency aid.

China also decided to send emergency humanitarian aid worth 30 million yuan (4.41 million U.S. dollars) to Haiti.

Ma said the reconstruction would be arduous and the United Nations should give full play to its advantage by guiding and coordinating aid efforts from all sides.

"China supports the United Nations playing its due role in time to ensure an early launch of reconstruction," said Ma.

Ma said whether China would send peace-keeping troops to Haiti would rest on UN arrangements.

The UN Security Council endorsed Tuesday a proposal to send 3,500 more peacekeepers to Haiti to support "the immediate recovery, reconstruction and stability efforts."

Eight Chinese peacekeeping police officers were killed in the quake. Four of them were officers of China's 125-member peacekeeping force in Haiti, and the rest were part of a team sent by the Ministry of Public Security to Haiti for peacekeeping consultations.

China has sent four extra peace-keeping police officers to Haiti.

"We hope relevant countries could continue to enhance coordination and make joint efforts to help the Haitian people overcome difficulties and rebuild their homes at an early date," said Ma.