China has donated 300 tonnes of grain in free aid to Mongolia for supporting the latter's southwestern region which has been plagued by snowy weather since last November.

The grain, consisting of flour and rice, was loaded onto nine trucks which were driven by 18 experienced drivers. The expedition left Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, last Thursday and reached Takixken, a seasonal and checkpoint on Sino-Mongolian border, Monday, according to Tian Feng, chief of Takixken checkpoint.

A brief ceremony was held Monday at the Chinese land checkpoint to mark the handover.

(Xinhua News Agency March 16, 2010)