First batch of Chinese aid arrives in Typhoon Haiyan-devastated Tacloban

The first batch of Chinese aid has arrived in the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines as multinational reliefs teams ramped up efforts to help desperate survivors 11 days after the storm hit.

The 10 million yuan (HK$12.65 million) worth of tents and blankets, shipped by a China Eastern Airlines cargo plane on Monday, was handed over to the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development. It was to be sent to Tacloban, one of the worst-hit areas in Leyte province, Xinhua said.

It is on top of the initial US$200,000 from the government and China Red Cross, which was seen as meagre compared to other major nations including the United States and Japan which donated millions of dollars and deployed naval ships and military personnel.

Video: Aid efforts ramped up following Philippines super typhoon

However Filipino internet users thanked China for the donated goods, despite rifts between the two countries over tensions in the South China Sea.

“Thank you, China” Chingkee Villasenor and Cielo Gebilaguin wrote on Twitter, while Inday Espina Varona praised the choice of aid as “very practical” and added: “People [are] hoping for further aid offers.”