China sends emergency items to Syria, asks Chinese rescue teams to stand down

1 / 3
Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) personnel prepare to depart from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Feb. 8, 2023, for quake-hit Turkiye to help search and rescue efforts. (EPA/XINHUA)
2 / 3
Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) personnel prepare to depart from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Feb. 8, 2023, for quake-hit Turkiye to help search and rescue efforts. (EPA/XINHUA)
3 / 3
China's search and rescue team gather in front of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkiye, on Feb. 9, 2023. as the search for earthquake survivors continued. (REUTERS)
Short Url
Updated 13 February 2023
Follow

China sends emergency items to Syria, asks Chinese rescue teams to stand down

  • Says rescue teams need to cancel or suspend their trips to not increase the burden on hard-hit areas, and avoid risks due to inclement weather
  • Israel on Monday pulled out its rescue and relief contingent on Sunday, citing security concerns

BEIJING: China sent the second batch of supplies to earthquake-hit areas of Syria and has asked Chinese rescue teams that have not left for disaster zones in Turkiye and Syria to cancel trips in order to ease the burden on rescue operations.
The China Association for Disaster Prevention called on Saturday for Chinese rescue teams to cancel or suspend their trips to not increase the burden on hard-hit areas, and avoid risks due to inclement weather.
Cotton tents, family kits, jackets and other daily necessities, as well as medical supplies, were being provided to Syria by the Red Cross Society of China, CCTV reported on Monday.
China has already committed financial aid to Turkiye and Syria, and has sent a number of rescue teams from several parts of the country, including 82 members dispatched by the Chinese government, as the death toll tops 33,000.
China’s 53 tons of tents to aid Turkiye have arrived in Istanbul, CCTV said on late Sunday. China has said more emergency aid is planned in the near future.
Shipped on large cargo planes, according to video from CCTV, the tents will help aid in relief operations as rescues continue.
The first batch of supplies from China’s government, 40,000 blankets, arrived in Istanbul on Saturday, according to CCTV. The country is planning to send more medical equipment, including electrocardiogram machines, ultrasound diagnostic instrument, and medical vehicles and hospital beds, CCTV said. 

 

 

 

Says rescue teams need to cancel or suspend their trips to not increase the burden on hard-hit areas, and avoid risks due to inclement weather

FASTFACTS


Russia will examine Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ invite: Putin

Updated 21 January 2026
Follow

Russia will examine Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ invite: Putin

  • Invites were sent to dozens of world leaders with a request for $1 billion for a permanent seat on the board

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Russia would study US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace.”
“The Russian foreign ministry has been charged with studying the documents that were sent to us and to consult on the topic with our strategic partners,” Putin said during a televised government meeting. “It is only after that we’ll be able to reply to the invitation.”
He said that Russia could pay the billion dollars being asked for permanent membership “from the Russian assets frozen under the previous American administration.”
He added that the assets could also be used “to reconstruct the territories damaged by the hostilities, after the conclusion of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.”
Invites were sent to dozens of world leaders with a request for $1 billion for a permanent seat on the board.
Although originally meant to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding, the board’s charter does not seem to limit its role to the Palestinian coastal enclave and appears to want to rival the United Nations, drawing the ire of some US allies including France.