Setting aside tensions, Taiwan president offers aid to China after deadly quake

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen expressed condolences to China on Tuesday and offered her government's help after an earthquake killed more than 100 people on the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

Tensions between Taipei and Beijing, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory, have soared in the past four years, as China seeks to assert its sovereignty claims with political and military pressure.

But setting that aside, Tsai offered via a statement on the X social media platform her "sincere condolences" to all those who had lost loved ones.

"We pray that all those affected receive the aid they need, and we hope for a swift recovery. Taiwan stands ready to offer assistance in the disaster response effort," she added, writing in English and simplified Chinese characters, which are used in China but not Taiwan.

Taiwan's fire department said it had assembled a search and rescue team of 160 people, four dogs and 13 tonnes of supplies ready to go to China if requested. China has not said whether it will allow in any overseas rescue teams.

Tsai has offered condolences to China before for disasters, including last year after an earthquake in Sichuan province.

Taiwan, which frequently suffers its own earthquakes, sent a rescue team to China in 2008 after a massive temblor struck the same province of Sichuan, killing almost 70,000 people and causing extensive damage.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Gerry Doyle)