GOVERNOR Chris Patten announced yesterday that the Government would help China ''in any way we can'' to recover from the deadly flooding that wreaked havoc in Guangdong.
Speaking at the opening of an aid group's Hong Kong office, Mr Patten hinted that some financial aid could come from the Government's relief fund set up specifically for disasters.
''The devastating floods in China have shocked everybody in Hong Kong,'' Mr Patten said.
''We have also made clear to China that . . . we will be ready to provide any assistance that is required. '' The Disaster Relief Fund was established last December, with an initial appropriation of $50 million, to provide humanitarian aid to the international community.
A spokesman for the Security Branch, which administers the fund, said: ''No applications had been made for money from the fund to help in China. However, the Government will monitor the situation.'' Meanwhile, Peggy Tu Chong-man of World Vision, Hong Kong, said they would closely monitor the situation in China and use money from the relief fund if necessary.
Yesterday, more than one-third of ferry services between Guangdong and Hong Kong were halted and the poultry supply from China was reduced by 80 per cent due to the floods.