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On April 20, DPJ International Department Director General Yukihisa Fujita paid a condolence call on Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua following the massive earthquake that had affected Qinghai province, and handed over a donation of 500 000 yen from the party. Following the earthquake, Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa had sent messages of condolence to President Hu Jintao and International Department Minister Wang Jiarui. Ambassador Cheng expressed his appreciation, saying: “We have a long relationship with the DPJ. As was also the case with the Sichuan earthquake, we appreciate the assistance from the DPJ and the international community.”
Fujita praised the prompt reaction of China in sending rescue assistance for the Haiti earthquake. In response Cheng said, “We have used the experience gained in Sichuan and elsewhere. We also had the feeling that we wanted to repay the international community for the assistance we received on that occasion, and to fulfil our obligations to international society.”
Cheng explained that the Qinghai earthquake was on a smaller scale geographically than the Sichuan earthquake, but that the vertical nature of the trembler had caused damage to be severe, and that it had been judged to be an earthquake equivalent to the Sichuan earthquake. He also added that the location of the disaster zone in a region 4000 metres above sea level was hampering rescue efforts.
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