ATT: Please find attached some selected pictures of the massive earthquake.

A massive earthquake, measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale, jolted Wenchuan area in Southwest China's Sichuan Province at 2:28 p.m. on Monday 12 May 2008. By the afternoon of 18 May 2008, there have been numerous aftershocks, four of which were measured above 6.0 on the Richter scale. The quake was the biggest and most destructive one since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. 58 cities and towns were hit. It was felt in at least 16 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tibet etc, and caused tremendous losses of lives and property. The death toll had risen to 34,073, with the ultimate death figure feared to top 50,000. The number of those injured reached 245,108. Over 9,500 people remain buried and more gone missing. The total economic loss in Sichuan is estimated as around 67 billion yuan.

After the earthquake struck, the Chinese Government responded immediately and made disaster relief a top priority. President Hu Jintao called on the whole nation to concentrate efforts for rescue and relief work, and asked rescue workers to use every available means to reach every affected village. The Central Government ordered all-out efforts to save lives. Premier Wen Jiabao flew on the same day to the worst hit areas to direct rescue work on the spot. He headed an emergency disaster relief headquarters comprising eight teams responsible for organizing rescue work, medical care, security, information and other tasks. From 12th -16th May, the premier visited almost all the worst-hit cities and towns in Sichuan Province, including Dujiangyan, Deyang, Mianzhu, Mianyang, Beichuan, Wenchuan and Qingchuan.

On Friday 16 May, Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in the quake-hit areas to console affected people and oversee rescue operations. While he was speaking to the local people, the ground under him shook again as one of the after tremors took place. In a joint meeting on Friday, he and Premier Wen instructed that saving lives must remain the top priority even though it was four days after the quake. Rescue teams must not give up searching for lives even when there is only the slightest hope of finding more survivors.

The People's Liberation Army, the armed police forces, the Red Cross, various government ministries and local party committees and governments are going all out for the earthquake relief.

The first Chinese military rescue team headed for the disaster area within 14 minutes after the strong earthquake. Military parachute troops were among the first military personnel for the rescue operation. By 8 a.m. Sunday 18 May, China's armed forces had dispatched 113,080 soldiers and armed police to help with rescue operations in earthquake-hit areas. The armed forces had pulled 21,566 people both dead and alive from the debris, treated 34,051 injured people and transferred 205,370 people to safety. Military transport aircraft and helicopters had made 1,069 flights. 92 military trains as well as about 110,000 military vehicles, cranes, rubber boats, portable communication devices and power generators were used in the operations. The servicemen were also well-equipped with satellite, life detection equipment and radar to increase the efficiency of the operation. The armed forces also airdropped 307 tons of relief supplies and repaired 557 kilometers of damaged roads.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs by Friday 16 May has allocated a total of 181,460 tents, 170,000 quilted clothes and 220,000 quilts for victims. 2,610 shelter centers have been established in quake-stricken areas to provide relief supplies to survivors.

The Ministry of Health has sent a total of 5,850 medical staff and 550 ambulances to all affected townships in the quake zone. So far, a total of 122,252 people injured during the quakes have been hospitalized. Two field hospitals with 400 beds in isolated quake zones have been set up with the help of military helicopters. The ministry also sent 646 doctors and assistants to quake areas to help prevent disease. A total of 350 tons of disease prevention goods have been sent to the quake zone, along with 300 tons of disinfectants and 100,000 filter masks. By midnight Sunday 18 May, no epidemic outbreaks or emergency public health incidents had been reported.

The Ministry of Finance on Friday 16 May set aside another 1.17 billion yuan (167 million U.S. dollars) for disaster relief. The move brought the total money earmarked from the central budget so far for quake relief to 5.78 billion yuan(826 million U.S. dollars).

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance allocated an emergency fund of 50 million yuan (7.14 Million U.S. dollars) to assist teachers and students. Juvenile volunteers and experts are dispatched to help with psychological counseling work to quake-affected children.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has dispatched expert teams to inspect more than 10,000 companies and factories in the quake-hit region to clear environmental safety risks. By Friday 16 May, 31 drinking water sources in 11 quake-affected cities and counties in Sichuan have been tested safe to drink.

The State Food and Drug Administration has sent special inspecting teams to ensure safety of drugs and medical equipment donated by domestic companies. So far, 170 million yuan worth of medicine and medical equipment has been donated by drug manufacturers.

While the search and rescue work is still going on, the survivors have been transferred to safer places in time. Children, women and aged are properly cared for. Telecommunications networks are being restored, with the eight worst-hit counties linked to outside world through fixed line and mobile phones.

Over 55,000 volunteers have flooded into the quake-hit regions to join the rescue work. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese people are donating blood, money and needed materials to Sichuan.

Donations from Chinese people from all walks of life both at home and abroad totaled 7.8 billion yuan (1.1 billion U.S. dollars) as of noon 18 May, out of which materials donated were worth 1.4 billion yuan. Donations from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and foreign countries totaled 1.2 billion yuan.

The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the safety of foreigners in China. The Foreign Ministry has launched its external-related emergency response mechanism and notified foreign embassies in China of information about possible casualties of their nationals. 24-hour telephone hotline is operated by the Foreign Ministry for handling relevant emergencies involving foreign nationals. According to the latest information from the tourist authorities, most foreign tourists in Sichuan are safe. The rescuing teams are actively searching for and trying to assist foreign nationals in earthquake zone. By May 15, there were in total 93 foreign tourists in Sichuan. By noontime, after hard work, the Chinese side had found 31 British, 2 Israelis and 12 Americans safe. However, a German man working in Deyang city had died of illness in the aftermath. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has informed the relevant embassy in China in time.

By May 15 2008, government leaders from 151 countries including Namibia, and many international and regional organizations expressed sympathy and condolence to the quake victims in China. Many of them had offered support in various forms and assistance in disaster relief. More than 200 rescuers from Japan, Russia, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Singapore are in Sichuan to help with the rescue and disaster relief work. On Saturday 17 May, Chinese President Hu Jintao expressed gratitude to foreign countries and people who have offered aid.

In face of this massively destructive earthquake disaster, the Chinese people are united as one. We are confident that, with the strong leadership of the Chinese Government and with the support and assistance from the international community. We will overcome all the difficulties caused by the major earthquake and we will prevail.

At 2:28 p.m. on19 May, people across China, Chinese embassies and other overseas Chinese missions, and overseas Chinese nationals all observed three minutes silence to mourn the people killed in the earthquake. Chinese President Hu Jintao and other government leaders also stood in silence in the central government compound in Beijing. Across the country, air raid sirens, cars, trains and ship horns wailed in grief as the people stood silent. Chinese bourses and commodities exchanges also suspended trading for three minutes in remembrance of the earthquake dead.  At the Tian'anmen square where the national flag flies at half post, thousands of people shouted "Brave and strong, China!" and "Brave and Strong, Wenchuan!"   The three-minute remembrance is part of the three-day national mourning for the quake-victims, during which national flags are flown at half mast, public entertainments are cancelled and the Olympic torch relay is suspended.

ATT: Please find attached some selected pictures of the massive earthquake.