A Chinese official delegation, headed by Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, arrived in Hikkaduwa, a tsunami-hit town some 90 kilometers off Colombo, on Tuesday, to understand the current situation in the Southern tsunami-affected area.

A 17-member Chinese medical team has been working in this town to provide assistance. The team, living in tents near a temple, has treated approximately 1,400 patients.

In addition to the medical team, China has offered relief materials worth about 3 million US dollars as well as 450,000 dollars in cash, said Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Sun Guoxiang days ago.

Vice Foreign Minister Wu said the Chinese government and people sympathize deeply with and are concerned about the Sri Lankan people who were badly hit by the tsunami. The team will do its best to help the people.

Wu is here to gather more information about the disaster in order to more effectively carry out the Chinese government's assistance to the worst tsunami-hit nation after Indonesia.

The Chinese delegation arrived in Sri Lanka's capital of Colombo early Tuesday morning after its visit to the Maldives.