Chinese foreign aid medical workers have played an irreplaceable role in promoting friendship between China and other countries, Vice Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday.

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with deputies attending an awarding ceremony for outstanding Chinese medical workers stationed overseas in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 6, 2008. [Yao Dawei/Xinhua]

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at an awarding ceremony for outstanding medical workers stationed overseas.

China sent its first medical aid team to Algeria in 1963. It has since sent more than 20,000 medical workers abroad, helping 260 million patients in 69 countries and regions across the world.

Chinese foreign aid medical workers have overcome difficulties of working overseas, away from their homeland and families, and have provided excellent services for people in need in a selfless manner, Li said.

He said sending medical teams to work abroad is key to maintaining friendly ties with other developing countries, building a responsible image for the country, and building a favorable international environment for China's development.

He urged relevant authorities to improve the benefits and the working conditions of Chinese medical workers abroad, and to provide more financial support and trainings for them.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2008)