Beijing: China Haiti aid sceptics 'have ulterior motives'

A state funeral will be held on Wednesday for the eight Chinese peacekeepers killed in the earthquake in Haiti, AFP reported, while Beijing has been forced to deny accusations that Chinese aid workers in Haiti were only searching for Chinese nationals. "Concerning the comments that Chinese rescuers only rescue Chinese, these comments are false and are made out of ulterior motives," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters. Ma pointed out that the 60-strong Chinese medical team was dispatched immediately after the quake and had already treated more than 200 locals. "Our rescue team and Chinese peacekeepers have made a great contribution to the relief efforts. We have won high appraisal from relevant parties, including the secretary general of the United Nations," Ma said. The eight Chinese nationals killed in the earthquake were returned to China on Tuesday. State media reported that four of the Chinese workers killed in the UN mission in Port au Prince were peacekeepers, while the other four were consultants dispatched by the Ministry of Public Security.