The government in Taipei on Wednesday rejected China’s offer of aid after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Taiwan’s east coast.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office offered disaster assistance to the island after the quake, but Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said it did not need it.
“We greatly appreciate their concern, but there is no need for the mainland side to assist us in providing disaster relief,” it said.
Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory, has operated independently since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
Although Taiwan has allowed China’s cash donations in previous earthquakes, it has not allowed Chinese teams to participate in disaster relief and rescue.
Meanwhile, a number of countries, especially Japan, have offered assistance to Taiwan for disaster relief and rescue.
Among the few countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Guatemala and Paraguay also shared messages of support.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Taiwan’s east coast early Wednesday, killing at least nine people.
This is the strongest earthquake to hit the island nation in the last 25 years. About 2,400 people died in 1999 when an earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck Taiwan overnight, AA writes.
