Five hundred children from China's quake-hit province of Sichuan will tour Russia's Primorsky territory for rehabilitation, the regional press service said Saturday.

These Chinese children are expected to arrive in Primorsky on July 17 and stay there for three weeks.

In addition, they will be allowed to enter Russian territory without a visa, and psychologists will be assigned to ensure the best treatment, the press service said.

The regional governor has asked relevant departments to make every effort to prepare for the arrival of these visitors.

Earlier, the country's regions of Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk and Kemerovo also invited the Chinese students from the quake-hit area to join in summer camps. The number of children, who arrived in Russia for rehabilitation, has reached 1,000.

A strong earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale hit southwest China on May 12, leaving nearly 70,000 people dead.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev invited a group of students from the quake-stricken region to Russia for rehabilitation during his first visit to Beijing last month.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2008)