Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has stressed that the United Nations is playing a leading role in the rescue and relief operations in the countries struck by the latest Asian earthquake and ensuing tsunamis.

During a meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Jakarta, Wen Jiabao noted that under Annan's leadership, the world body has made a strong and rapid reaction to the disaster, a reaction highly appreciated by Chinese government.

Chinese delegation sources quotes the premier as saying that the success of the relief operations came from a highly efficient, coordinated and orderly progress of the operations carried out by the international community. He emphasized the need to consider and plan the reconstruction and rehabilitation for the normalization of life in the disaster-hit areas from now on.

Chinese premier Wen Jiabao added that China is ready to strengthen its cooperation with the UN in such fields.

Annan highly evaluated the prominent role being played by China in the relief operations and expressed his appreciation for China's additional assistance of 20 million US dollars to the disaster-hit countries under a multilateral framework.

He also agreed with Wen Jiabao that the international community should from now on put together the emergency operations with middle and long-term programs of reconstruction and rehabilitation, and establish a global disaster early warning system.

Wen Jiabao was in Jakarta on Wednesday to attend the Special ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on Aftermath of Earthquake and Tsunami, which gathered heads of state or government, ministers and senior officials from 26 nations and groups.