Following a strong earthquake that jolted the county of Wenchuan, southwest China's Sichuan Province, at 2:28 p.m. on Monday, media from Great Britain, New Zealand, Malaysia and many other countries expressed great concerns about the tremor. Some media highly regarded and hailed the Chinese government's rapid response to the disaster and efficient organization in rescue operations.

Britain's Thames Newspaper said that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao set out to the hardest-hit areas immediately after the quake took place; and made a prompt public statement to inform the general public of the true nature of the disaster. China's State media has been transparently covering the disaster, frequently updating the number of casualties.

Mainstream media in New Zealand also broadcast extensive coverage of the disastrous conditions, rescue and relief work; and China's quick responses to breaking events and deploying troops rapidly to the worst-hit areas.

Many New Zealand newspapers, such as the NZ Herald, The Dominion Post and New Zealand News U.K., extensively quoted China's official media, Xinhua, in reporting news about the tremor.

The Oriental Daily, the Malaysian Chinese-language daily newspaper, dedicated entire pages to the coverage of the Sichuan earthquake and rescue operations. Meanwhile, the news source offered related information and extended readings on the general causes of earthquakes.

Editor: Yan