Officials say they'll work even harder as relief and reconstruction continues. That was the message at a joint news conference on Wednesday. The Chinese government's fast and efficient response to the Wenchuan earthquake has won international praise.

Wang Zhenyao, Disaster Relief Director of Ministry of Civil Affairs

The Ministry of Civil Affairs' disaster relief director Wang Zhenyao stressed "there was still room for improvement" in terms of managing donations.

He said some elements of the the existing system set up to manage donations cannot cope with the current situation.

Wang Zhenyao, Disaster Relief Director of Ministry of Civil Affairs said "The Ministry is intensifying efforts to offer better donation management services. The government has issued a series of regulations to guide every step of the donations. Until now, we haven't found any serious problems. "

The Information Office of the State Council said donations from home and abroad to China's quake zone had hit 43.68 billion yuan. 12.67 billion yuan in cash and relief materials has been forwarded to the quake-affected areas.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said that China is willing to continue working with foreign countries for disaster prevention and relief in the future.

Qin Gang, Spokesman of Foreign Ministry said "We greatly appreciate some countries for their requests to send professional rescue teams after the major earthquake in Wenchuan. In the future, the Chinese government will continue to cooperate with foreign partners in disaster relief and reconstruction."

Qin Gang was asked whether there was delay during the approval procedure, when several foreign teams arrived in the quake zone 72 hours after the disaster, missing the "golden chance for saving survivors". Qin Gang said the Chinese authorities acted quickly and efficiently when they received applications from foreign rescue teams. He linked the delay of rescuers' arrival to damaged transport facilities and frequent aftershocks.

(CCTV June 5, 2008)