The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will strengthen cooperation with China to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, especially in the health sector, said Pierre Kraehenbuehl, head of the ICRC’s Regional Delegation for East Asia, Reuters reported.

This comes amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan on the back of economic sanctions.

Kraehenbuehl said about 47 percent of the Afghan population faces food insecurity in one form or another and that because the flow of money into Afghanistan has dried up, institutions that crucially provide for the needs of the people are currently facing incredibly dire circumstances.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) he said the ICRC is mobilizing all resources to help Afghanistan get through the humanitarian crisis it is currently facing, and approaching China is at the top of its agenda.

“We need about 150 million Swiss Francs or 160 million U.S. dollars until the end of 2022. We will mobilize support from states, and in that regard, we are approaching China and this is a priority for us. We welcome the fact that our partners in the Red Cross Society of China have come forward with the first financial support, which we are very grateful for, and we are now continuing the dialogue also with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We hope that there are avenues of cooperation that can open up,” said the official.

The ICRC representative also said that China has contributed a lot to improving medical conditions in Afghanistan, and that the organization is looking forward to strengthening cooperation with China in that regard.

A freight train, carrying 1,000-plus tons of humanitarian aid left the city of Urumqi, capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Saturday afternoon and headed for Mazar-e-Sharif, the fourth largest city in Afghanistan. It will take 12 days to get the winter clothes, cotton shoes, blankets, naan, and milk-tea powder, and other materials delivered, Reuters reported.