bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Bloomberg

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has offered help after the Sichuan earthquake.
Abe sent a message to President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday expressing sympathy for the victims. He also said he hoped the communities would recover as soon as possible, the foreign ministry revealed.
"Japan is ready to offer its maximum support," the message said. Beijing responded by saying while overseas assistance is not needed at the moment, it would contact Japan if aid was required.
The ministry said yesterday the country had the resources to cope with the disaster and didn't need international help for now.
This indicated it may not be as serious as the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.
CCTV reported yesterday that a total of 31 countries, including Vietnam, Cuba, France and Russia, had expressed condolences to the victims.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross of Taiwan said yesterday it had formed 20 rescue teams that were ready to head to the region devastated by the quake, the Taiwan ETTV news channel reported.
It also quoted the head of the Taiwan Red Cross as saying that the China Red Cross had asked for 5 million yuan (HK$6.2 million) rescue fund from its Taiwan colleagues before they send the rescue teams to Sichuan.
The Taiwan Red Cross said 1 million yuan would be used for purchasing medical facilities, and it had agreed with the China Red Cross that the two parties would discuss how to use the remaining 4 million yuan, reported the mainland-based International Business Times.
However, the China Red Cross later denied it had asked for the rescue fund.
Longmen and Qingren townships are among the worst affected by the quake, Xinhua said, citing Jin Zelin, an official with the provincial armed police corps.
Most of the buildings in the old urban area of Lushan county and Longmen have collapsed, Xinhua said, citing the local government. Three other townships in the county are cut off, it said.
Lushan, a mountainous rural area, was badly hit by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake when many houses were destroyed, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Sino-Japanese ties remain strained since a long-simmering territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea intensified last year.
Japan administers the unoccupied islands, which it calls the Senkakus. The waters around the islands are considered potentially rich in natural resources.
Tensions peaked last September after the Japanese government purchased islets in the chain it did not already own, sparking violent demonstrations in mainland cities.
AFP, Bloomberg


6.1-magnitude earthquake hits Lushan in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan

Four dead as twin quakes shake Chinese city, epicentre of deadly 2013 shock

Yaan official investigated for allegedly dipping into earthquake relief funds

Yaan party chief removed from post amid graft allegations

Yaan earthquake

We're OK thanks, says China as Japan offers aid after Sichuan earthquake

Japanese leader Shinzo Abe

News

China

Asia

PM Shinzo Abe says he hopes communities can recover as 31 nations send messages of support


Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a message to President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday expressing sympathy for the victims. He also said he hoped the communities would recover as soon as possible, the foreign ministry revealed.


Shinzo Abe