On 22 May, Ambassador Zhang Xiaokang, Mr. K. Shanmugam, Singapore's Minister for Law and second Minister for Home Affairs, and Mr. James Tan, Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) went to Paya Lebar Airbase to receive the returning Singapore Rescue Team from earthquake-stricken areas in Sichuan, China. The team was led by SCDF Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Ng and flew over to Chengdu on 16 May. Ambassador Zhang greeted every team member and commended them for their hard work.

     In her interview with the local media, Ambassador Zhang expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Singapore government and its people for their warm and timely support to the Chinese government and people on the rescue and relief efforts in the disaster-stricken areas.