China will assist in the rescue of four Australian mountaineers trapped in the Himalayas, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing told Australia's Acting Foreign Minister MarkVaile on the phone Sunday.
China's Foreign Ministry, the State Sports Administration, the foreign office of the Tibet Autonomous Region and relevant military departments were preparing to provide emergency assistance, Li said after being informed Saturday that the Australians were trapped on Mount Cho Oyu on the China-Nepal border after an accident.
Li said he and Yuan Weimin, director of the State Sports Administration, offered their condolences on the death of one of the mountaineers and to the other three injured climbers.
He also briefed Vaile, also Australia's Minister of Trade, on the difficult terrain of the accident spot and the hostile climate, hoping the rescue workers were aware of the dangers.
Vaile thanked China for its rapid consent to assist in the rescue, pledging that the Australian government and people would continue their all-out support for the Chinese people's fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2003)
