BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China will work with Afghanistan to jointly tide over the challenging time and deliver disaster relief supplies to quake-hit areas as soon as possible, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked about China's response after a late-night earthquake struck Afghanistan on Aug. 31.

Lin said that China is closely following the earthquake. On Sept. 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping, while presiding over the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus" Meeting in Tianjin, expressed deep condolences over the lives lost in the earthquake and sympathies to those who lost their loved ones and people in the disaster-stricken areas, and wished that the Afghan government and people will get through this difficult time and rebuild their homes soon, according to Lin.

The Chinese government announced it would provide Afghanistan with 50 million yuan (about 7.04 million U.S. dollars) in emergency humanitarian aid for earthquake relief, including tents, blankets, tarps, food and other urgently needed supplies, Lin said.

He added that the first batch of aid has arrived in Kabul by airplane on Sunday and the remaining supplies will be delivered in the following days.

The Chinese embassy, Chinese institutions, and the Overseas Chinese Association in Afghanistan raised and donated funds and relief supplies, Lin said, adding that the Red Cross Society of China also provided cash assistance to the Afghan Red Crescent Society.

"Afghanistan has always been a friendly neighbor and strategic cooperative partner of China," Lin said. "We believe that under the leadership of the Afghan government, the Afghan people will come together and recover and rebuild from the disaster at an early date."  ■