On May 21, 2008, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi accepted the US$8 million emergency humanitarian aid contributed by the United Nations to the earthquake-hit areas in Sichuan on behalf of the Chinese government.

Khalid Malik, resident coordinator of the United Nations System, said that the response of the Chinese government in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province is extraordinary no matter in terms of scope or in terms of speed. The United Nations stands ready to provide any form of support, as required, to the government of China in its disaster relief efforts and assist China in the post-disaster reconstruction.

Wang Yi expressed gratitude to the United Nations for its aid on behalf of the Chinese government. Wang said: Today is a special day in this history of China-UN relationship. The United Nations is the largest inter-governmental organization in the world. The assistance contributed by the UN to the Chinese people represents the common aspiration of the international community and the people all over the world. The rescue operations and disaster relief work in China is proceeding in an earnest, orderly, and effective manner. Under the strong leadership of the CPC and the Chinese government, with the united efforts of the Chinese people, and with the strong help from the international community, the Chinese government and people will be able to win the battle against the natural catastrophe and the Chinese nation will continue to march toward the goal of modernization.

Wang Yi said: An anonymous friend wrote two lines on the Internet, "Is a small mercy, multiplied by 1.3 billion, will become a love of the ocean; an enormous difficulty, divided by 1.3 billion, will become insignificant." These two lines are a real description of the current rescue operations and disaster relief in China and an embodiment of the strength of the Chinese people and the spirit of the Chinese nation. The world has a population of more than 6 billion. If we replace 1.3 billion with 6 billion, I believe the world will become a better and more harmonious place. This is not only the lofty goal pursued by the United Nations, but also the historical mission of every member state of the United Nations including China.