Vanuatu's caretaker Prime Minister Charlot Salwai expressed appreciation for China's assistance at the ceremony, saying that the Vanuatu government will ensure that the aid reaches those affected by the quake as soon as possible.

The tremor that hit Port Vila killed at least 14 people and injured more than 200, with the city's infrastructure severely damaged.

After the earthquake, China immediately provided emergency humanitarian assistance to better support Vanuatu's disaster relief work, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a daily news conference on Thursday.

Post-disaster assessment engineers from China have been carrying out intensive work in Vanuatu, providing support to the local government and people, she said.

At the request of the government of Vanuatu, four Chinese earthquake engineering experts arrived in Port Vila on Monday — the first post-disaster assessment team that China has sent to a Pacific island country.

Mao said that China believes the people of Vanuatu will overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homes soon.