Disaster-relief supplies from the United States Army arrived Sunday in Chengdu, capital of China's quake-hit Sichuan Province.

The supplies, the first of its kind from a foreign military, including food, tents, power generators and blankets, were badly needed in the quake-hit area, and would greatly facilitate China's rescue operations, said Guan Youfei, Deputy Director of the foreign affairs office of China's National Defense Ministry, expressing his gratitude to the U.S. emergent humanitarian aid.

The supplies were already distributed to Beichuan County, one of the worst-hit counties in the 8.0-magnitude quake.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2008)