China to triple Nepal aid, boosts rescue efforts

China announced on Wednesday it would provide a second batch of humanitarian aid to Nepal worth US $6.54 million, tripling its aid to the quake-hit country even as around 300 Chinese personnel from military and humanitarian rescue teams have been pressed into action in the search for survivors.

In a demonstration of Beijing's unusually proactive diplomatic and humanitarian response to the tragedy -- a response that many diplomats in the Chinese capital described as a marked contrast to a slow-moving and much criticised reaction to typhoon hit Philippines in 2013 -- authorities said on Wednesday they planned to increased the $3.4 million aid announced on Sunday as well as press more personnel into action.

The Ministry of Commerce said a second batch of $6.54 million aid, including water purification equipment, first aid kits, tents and blankets, will be delivered to Nepal as soon as possible, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The Chinese government has been keen to underline its swift reaction. A detailed statement describing China's response to the quake -- which also caused severe damage in remote Tibetan towns, killing at least 25 people and injuring close to 400 --- pointed out that China's 62-member International Rescue Team arrived only around 24 hours after the quake struck, reaching Kathmandu at noon on Sunday.

This was "the first heavy international rescue team to have reached Nepal after the massive disaster," said the statement, published by Xinhua. The team comprised 40 rescuers and 10 medical experts as well as six sniffer dogs.

A second 58-member team followed on Monday morning, setting up a makeshift hospital and carrying 13 tons of aid.

The Chinese military also dispatched a 215-member rescue and medical team which arrived in two batches, on Monday evening and Tuesday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The military rescuers had been specially chosen for the task at hand, having taken part in rescue work following the devastating 2008 earthquake in Sichuan provinces in western China that killed close to 90,000 people.

The People's Liberation Army has also deployed four IL-76 planes from Sichuan, which arrived on Tuesday with 90 tons of relief materials including power generators.

The Chinese government has been at pains to stress its response was aimed at helping Nepal, and contrary to media reports, there was no aid "race" with India or other countries. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said China was, in fact, keen to coordinate relief and rescue work with India.