First batch of China's emergency humanitarian aid arrives in Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of emergency humanitarian aids provided by the Chinese government arrived in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Thursday.

The Chinese humanitarian aid was received by Yemeni government officials at Aden's seaport.

The Chinese government has announced a grant of 150 million yuan (22.5 million U.S. dollars) as relief assistance to Yemen, in addition to 5 million yuan (750,000 U.S. dollars) for the UN World Food Programme and 2 million yuan (300,000 U.S. dollars) for the World Health Organization, in an effort to contain spread of the cholera epidemic sweeping across the war-torn country.

The arrival of Chinese humanitarian aid in Aden reflects the strong historical relations between the governments of China and Yemen.

The Chinese government has pledged to continue its support for the Yemeni people and remain in coordination with the Yemeni government and the United Nations in delivering humanitarian assistance to the needy in Yemen.

The conflict in Yemen has continued for more than two years and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the country, which has left more than 10,000 people killed, including 1,500 children, over 35,000 injured, and about 3 million displaced.

It is now the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, where two thirds of the population, or nearly 19 million, need assistance and more than 7 million are suffering from hunger.

There have been 313,000 cholera cases and 1,706 deaths across Yemen's 22 provinces since the outbreak began in March.