A Chinese work team set off for Russia to handle the pollution in the cross-border Songhua River, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing Wednesday.

The work team is expected to hold discussions with officials from the Russian ministries of foreign affairs and natural resources, and to meet with regional governors in Russia's border city of Khabarovsk and Jewish autonomous region, Qin said.

The team is also to investigate the pollution in the Amur River, which is called the Heilong River in China and the Songhua river is one of its tributary.

The pollution spill in northeast China's Songhua River was caused by an explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant in November. It is estimated that about 100 tons of benzene, a harmful chemical, spilled into the river.

The work team to Russia is tasked mainly with informing the Russian side of the river pollution and the countermeasures the Chinese government has taken against the accident, Qin said.

According to Qin, members of the team come from the State Environmental Protection Administration, Ministry of Water Resources, Foreign Ministry and Helongjiang Provincial government.

The work team is expected to express the willingness to cooperate with Russia to reduce the damage from the pollution spill as soon as possible.

China has sent two batches of pollution-relief materials to Russia, including water monitoring devices and 150 tons of active carbon, which will help absorb the chemicals in the river.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2005)