A cargo of 1,700 tents worth 6 million yuan (US$767,900), donated by the Chinese government, were flown to the Philippines on Monday.

The six-person and 12-person tents can shelter 13,000 people, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

The tents were among the most urgent needs of the typhoon-ravaged Philippines.

Sources with the Ministry said the Chinese government has donated US$450,000 and goods and materials worth 17 million yuan (US$2.2 million), mainly tents and daily necessities, to aid the Philippines.

Since March last year, the Philippines has been rocked by a series of natural disasters including mud flows, typhoons and floods. The typhoons that buffeted the country between September and November 2006 caused great loss of life and property.

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2007)