China's emergency aid arrives in tsunami-hit Tonga

(ECNS) -- China has provided 280,000 yuan (about $44,200) of drinking water, food and other emergency supplies to tsunami-hit Tonga through the Chinese embassy, which arrived in the South Pacific island country on Wednesday.

Tonga's Deputy Prime Minister Poasi Tei thanked China for the aid, saying the relief supplies donated by the Chinese government were the first batch of emergency relief materials received by the Tongan government after a volcanic eruption wrecked havoc on the country. They carried the friendship between the two countries, he added.

The Red Cross Society of China has also donated $100,000 in cash for emergency aid to Tonga.

China will continue to provide supplies including drinking water, food, personal protective and disaster relief equipment based on the country's needs, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.

All the following supplies will be sent to Tonga after the country's airport resumes operation as soon as possible.

It is estimated that 80 percent of Tongan people have been influenced by the volcanic eruption, according to the United Nations (UN). And it is the most urgent to make sure its people have safe drinking water and other disaster relief supplies like food.

The Tongan government has declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in the wake of the country's massive volcanic eruption and the ensuing tsunami.