China is willing to help build an early warning system in the tsunami-affected region to enhance disaster prevention capabilities, said a Chinese official after the International Donors' Conference held here Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, China's special representative to the one-day meeting Shen Guofang said the Chinese government is willing to provide assistance in both hardware and software for such a system.

"As far as software is concerned, China will table a proposal for establishing such a system at a seminar and a conference to be held very soon. As many as 25 countries have indicated their willingness to jointly make the proposal," he said.

Estimates of the Dec. 26 tsunami's overall toll put the casualties at 150,000. More than half a million people are believed to have been injured and up to 5 millions are classified as lacking basic services.

Regional cooperation and information exchange will be very conducive to heightening the region's preparedness for disasters as a whole and China would like to make its unique contribution inthis field, Shen said.

He noted that China has very useful data sent back by the meteorological satellites and that China, as a country prone to disasters like earthquakes and flooding, has accumulated valuable experience and expertise in dealing with the disasters during its long history.

China is willing to share all its information and expertise with the tsunami-stricken countries, Shen said.

Source: Xinhua