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Beijing to boost emergency aid

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The central government will significantly increase its aid to countries hit by the weekend's devastating tsunami.

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'Considering the heavy casualties and property losses some South and Southeast Asian countries have sustained, the Chinese government decided to provide emergency aid to the tsunami-stricken countries and [yesterday] to increase the amount by a big margin, in order to help them in the rescue and reconstruction work,' Commerce Ministry spokesman Chong Quan said.

The central government had pledged cash and emergency aid worth 21.63 million yuan to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Thailand, but this would be raised considerably, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. 'China's wealth - on a per capita basis - is relatively low,' Mr Liu said. 'But we are willing to do the best we can when our neighbours are in need.'

The mainland also said it had sent a 30-member rescue team headed by State Seismological Bureau vice-director Zhao Heping to Indonesia with relief supplies.

Central authorities said there were still no reported deaths of mainland people from the disaster and the injury toll remained at 10.

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The Ministry of Health said two emergency medical teams from Shanghai and Guangdong would be sent to Phuket and the ministry had eight more medical teams on standby.

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