JAKARTA - The Chinese government and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth 50 million yuan (about $8.1 million) on disaster management, an initial step to improve partnership between ASEAN and China in the sector.

"The tasks ahead would require further dialogue and interaction to fully implement points stipulated in the MoU," ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh said at the MoU signing ceremony held in ASEAN Secretariat here.

The MoU provides China's fund assistance to support implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Program, the operation of the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management and ASEAN Secretariat's capacity building program on disaster management.

China Ambassador to ASEAN Yang Xiuping said that the MoU signing would be China's first grant to ASEAN disbursed through multilateral mechanism.

She praised the efforts of the Secretary-General of ASEAN in obtaining donations when the Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in 2013.

"The leadership of the Secretary-General of ASEAN is important not only within the region but also outside ASEAN," she added.

She furthermore pointed out that disaster management is important to governments and the people affected by disasters.

"Through this grant, China hopes to help countries affected by disasters. By coming together, we can do more for the benefit of the people," she said.

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