In addition to the cash assistance that China has provided to Venezuela, the Chinese government has decided to provide emergency supplies worth of 100 million yuan ($14.7 million) as donations that will be soon delivered to Venezuela in support of its disaster response and reconstruction effort, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

A strong aftershock jolted Venezuela early Monday following last week's devastating back-to-back earthquakes, as civilians and emergency responders kept combing through the ruins of fallen buildings for survivors, the Associated Press reported. 

The ‌death toll from last week's twin earthquakes in Venezuela approached 1,500 people as foreign rescue teams poured into La Guaira, the hardest-hit state of the country, per Reuters on Sunday.

"Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing," said Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Sunday, adding that they have recovered people alive and operations are not being suspended. 

"We always maintain hope," Rodriguez said, after announcing a presidential commission that would determine the habitability of buildings, according to Reuters.

When asked about what disaster relief assistance China has provided to Venezuela as the death toll and injuries caused by the devastating earthquakes continues to rise, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun noted at the Monday press conference that China also provided satellite imagery to the quake zones for disaster response operations. Guo added that Chinese companies and associations of overseas Chinese in Venezuela voluntarily provided urgently needed machinery and medical supplies and set up rescue teams to actively search for survivors. 

Overseas Chinese in quake-hit Venezuela have donated relief supplies, according to the Chinese Embassy in Venezuela. The supplies were donated by the Federation of Chinese Associations in Venezuela and other Chinese community groups. The supplies, including bottled water, biscuits, diapers, milk, rice, sugar and fish, have benefited nearly 10,000 families affected by the disaster, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. 

Xu Guocheng, secretary-general of the Federation of Chinese Associations in Venezuela, said that the federation has collected more than 500 tons of relief supplies to date, Beijing Daily reported on Monday.

Disaster relief supplies are primarily being sent to hard-hit areas in La Guaira State, where water, electricity and internet services remain cut off, Xu was quoted as saying.

Xu also said that the federation prioritized rescue efforts from the very start, adding that over 30 volunteers took part in relief work on Sunday, with the youngest being just 13 years old.

China's Ministry of Natural Resources organized a marine environmental survey in waters under China's jurisdiction east of China's Taiwan island from June 16 to 18 to gain a full understanding of the natural ecological conditions of the country's jurisdictional sea areas, Xinhua reported. According to Yuyuantantian, a social media account affiliated with China Media Group, this operation signifies that China's "nearshore governance model" now encompasses the natural resources sector, and that China is preparing for territorial spatial planning of the waters east of Taiwan island.

The survey is designed to assess the natural resources of the waters east of Taiwan island and lay the foundation for the development and conservation of marine territorial space. In the past, China's marine research activities in these waters were mostly one-time, specialized missions; however, this survey is being carried out as an annual routine survey, which in itself is a concrete measure for China to exercise its jurisdiction over these waters and take stock of all national natural resources. A full resource stocktaking will lay the groundwork for territorial spatial development and conservation.

As reported by Yuyuantantian, the operation featured China's first targeted surveys of avian and cetacean species in the area. This signals a shift from broad general surveys to detailed surveys targeting specific species and regions. It is foreseeable that more such in-depth surveys will be carried out in the years ahead.

Yuyuantantian cited experts as saying that future marine development will span marine industries, oil and gas exploration and development, and marine biopharmaceuticals and bioproducts. For conservation work, it will include marine ecological and environmental protection, source control of marine environmental hazards, and integrated governance of key sea areas.

Moving forward, authorities will also advance multi-dimensional tiered planning for marine economic utilization, including marine aquaculture at the surface-water and water-column levels, as well as cross-sea bridges, undersea cables and pipelines, and undersea tunnels at the seabed and subsoil levels.

The report noted that China is systematically carrying out and entrenching its lawful rights in the waters east of Taiwan island in line with exclusive economic zone provisions. The relevant waters east of Taiwan island and its affiliated islands fall within China's exclusive economic zone. All activities carried out by China in these waters are entirely legitimate acts within the scope of its sovereignty.

In recent times, China's approaches to exercising jurisdiction over these waters have kept expanding, including joint island encirclement drills, China Coast Guard law enforcement patrols, special maritime traffic law enforcement organized by the Ministry of Transport, to hydrographic surveys as well as regular resource surveys conducted by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The routine surveys conducted by the Ministry of Natural Resources serve the specific purpose of exercising China's sovereign rights over natural resources.

It is noteworthy that Japan and the Philippines recently bypassed China in launching the so-called maritime delimitation talks, which attempts to manipulate matters within the framework of exclusive economic zones. Through bilateral arrangements, the Philippines and Japan seek to establish fait accompli within China's waters and violate China's legitimate maritime rights and interests.

In addition, as reported by Yuyuantantian, during the routine surveys, certain forces even attempted to interfere with China's normal survey operations. Experts note that the PLA Navy and China Coast Guard serve as strong backing, and that various departments are coordinating their efforts to ensure the surveys proceed safely and in an orderly manner.

Yuyuantantian said that the Coast Guard undertakes maritime law enforcement tasks, while the Ministry of Natural Resources oversees resource and ecological management; each fulfills its respective duties and works in coordination to incorporate the waters east of Taiwan island into routine, systematic management. In the future, this coordinated governance model will be further refined, ensuring that every activity in the waters east of Taiwan island is conducted in a manner that is more lawful, compliant, standardized, and orderly, thereby providing solid support for safeguarding the nation's maritime rights and interests and promoting high-quality maritime