A drone photo taken on Aug. 27, 2026 shows a view of a flood-hit area in Nuwakot, Nepal. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday said that China's package of assistance to Nepal is being implemented, including emergency cash assistance and humanitarian aid, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while holding a phone conversation with his Nepali counterpart Shisir Khanal.

Chinese relief supplies are expected to arrive in Kathmandu shortly. Chinese tunnel rescue experts have been divided into two teams and are heading to the affected areas and Kathmandu to provide assistance. China has shared with Nepal important information, including imagery of the affected areas, satellite and hydrological data, as well as early-warning information on an upstream barrier lake, Wang said.

"For Nepalese citizens stranded on the Chinese side, China has made appropriate arrangements and will assist them in returning to Nepal as soon as possible. We appreciate Nepal's efforts and hope that Nepal will continue to assist in rescuing and evacuating Chinese citizens in Nepal," Wang said.

In the face of this disaster, the two countries should stand firmly together, work hand in hand to respond, and overcome the difficulties together, demonstrating through concrete actions the traditional friendship that transcends the Himalayas, the minister added.

Khanal conveyed the condolences of the Nepalese leadership to the Chinese government and people, as well as to the families of the victims, and expressed sincere appreciation for the emergency humanitarian assistance provided by the Chinese side. Khanal said that both Nepal and China are disaster-affected countries, yet China overcame its own difficulties to extend condolences and provide assistance to Nepal at the earliest opportunity, fully demonstrating the high level of Nepal-China relations, per Xinhua.

At the request of the Nepalese government, China's Ministry of Emergency Management has urgently dispatched five Chinese tunnel experts to Nepal. They traveled by helicopter from Gyirong, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, and arrived in the disaster-affected area in Nepal at 4:58 pm Beijing Time on Saturday, immediately joining the rescue efforts at a hydropower station tunnel, according to Xinhua.

Meanwhile, in response to the needs of the rescue operation, an additional four Chinese tunnel experts were urgently dispatched to Nepal to provide full support for the country's tunnel rescue efforts.

The mudslide struck Gyirong Port, a major China-Nepal land border crossing in Xizang, on Wednesday morning. It was triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse on the Nepalese side, and experts warned that such glacial disasters are becoming more frequent and severe amid global warming.

Previously, in a major policy shift, the Nepal government has reversed its earlier decision to rely solely on domestic security agencies and agreed to accept specialized foreign assistance following the catastrophic flash floods, Nepal News reported on Friday. 

While domestic personnel in Nepal continue primary field operations, the government has authorized technical units from several partner countries - including China - to step in for complex missions. International experts are being deployed specifically to conduct specialized subterranean rescues in submerged hydropower tunnels and assist local laboratories with forensic body identification and mass DNA testing, the report said.

China will provide emergency aid to the disaster-hit area in Nepal and carry out international rescue cooperation, according to a Party leadership meeting on Friday to deliberate and make arrangements on rescue and relief efforts after a devastating mudslide hit Gyirong County in Xizang region, Xinhua reported.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson also said during a press conference on Thursday that the mudslide has caused massive casualties and left many missing in both China and Nepal. The Chinese side extends heartfelt sympathies to the government of Nepal and all those hit by the disaster. 

"The two sides are having close communication and coordinating efforts for the search and rescue. The Chinese side is ready to provide emergency assistance in light of Nepal's need," the spokesperson continued.

 As of 10 am local time on Saturday, a total of 626 bodies had been recovered from mudslide-hit areas in Nepal, according to the disaster authority. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority in Nepal said that 2,426 people were still missing as of the same time, per Xinhua.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal said on Friday that about 40 kilometers of roads had been destroyed in the landslide-affected areas of Nepal. Preliminary assessments indicate that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, according to CCTV News.

"Despite significant losses on the Chinese side, China has immediately coordinated emergency supplies and cash assistance to Nepal and will do its utmost to provide further support. I'm sure that by joining hands, we will overcome the difficulties and rebuild our beautiful homes," Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming said in an X post on Thursday.

Global Times