The Chinese mainland is on standby to send a civilian helicopter to Taiwan to aid typhoon relief efforts there, mainland officials said Wednesday.
Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, told a press conference in Beijing that the Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter, owned by a private company on the mainland, can fly to Taiwan "at any time."
But she said the mainland was still waiting for the decision from Taiwan on whether they want the helicopter to join the aid work.
Typhoon Morakot caused heavy casualties and economic looses in central and southern parts of the island.
"On Aug. 14 we expressed our wish to provide all materials and facilities Taiwan needs for rescue and disaster relief, including the helicopter which is able to transport heavy machines," Fan said.
"It seems that the Taiwan has some other plans," she said. "But the mainland is still well prepared to provide materials and machines, as well as rescue experts, medics and engineers, to help the relief and reconstruction work in Taiwan."
Her comments came days after Taiwan turned down some of the mainland's aid offers including the Russian-made helicopter, famous for its huge capacity to lift heavy machines.
Wang Yi, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said Tuesday in Beijing that the helicopter had no "military background."
Ma Xiaoguang, vice secretary general of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), also confirmed in Taipei Wednesday that the helicopter belongs to the China Flying Dragon Special Aviation Company, a civilian aviation company.
Ma arrived in Taiwan Tuesday with 10,000 sleeping bags, 10,000 blankets and 1,000 sterilizers donated by the mainland to the typhoon-ravaged regions.
He also give 30,000 US dollars, through the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), to residents of Hsiaolin village, near Kaohsiung, where about 380 people were feared dead in mudslides on Aug. 9.
After a meeting with Kao Koong-lian, deputy chairman and secretary-general of the SEF, Ma reiterated the mainland's hope to provide further aid.
(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2009)
