China has sent 60 tonnes of emergency relief aid to its ally Myanmar to help recovery efforts following a devastating cyclone, state media reported yesterday.
A Chinese Boeing 747-400 arrived in Myanmar's main city Yangon in the afternoon with the aid, which included food, tents and blankets, Xinhua news agency said in a dispatch from the military-ruled country.
At least 22,000 people have been killed and more than 41,000 are missing following tropical cyclone Nargis, one of the world's worst natural disasters in years.
International agencies yesterday painted a picture of devastation and desperate need in affected areas five days after the storm hit, saying millions of people were homeless and and lacked food and water.
The extent of the suffering has put pressure on the ruling junta, which seized power in 1962 and has largely turned its back on the rest of the world ever since, to allow in foreign disaster teams.
Disaster relief agencies have complained, however, that Myanmar's secretive generals had so far blocked access to affected regions.
China is Myanmar's main military and commercial partner, fuelling criticism overseas that Beijing has emboldened the hardline junta, which crushed anti-government protests last year.