Kuomintang Chaimran Wu Poh-hsiung Wednesday expressed appreciation on behalf of the party to the Chinese mainland for support and help to Taiwan in dealing with the devastation left by Typhoon Morakot.

Wu asked Wang Jianzhou, president of the mainland-based China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC), to convey his gratitude to all those on the mainland who made donations after the typhoon struck on Aug. 8, claiming at least 400 lives.

Wang is leading a visiting delegation to the island to seek partners for its communications business in Taiwan.

Taiwan people would not forget General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Hu Jintao's heart-warming speech and condolences and mainland donations of almost 4 billion New Taiwan Dollars, Wu said.

The mutual support and care shown by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait after last year's May 12 earthquake and the typhoon would bring the people closer together and make relations more stable, Wu said.

Wang Jianzhou said that in addition to a 10-million-yuan donation, CMCC had prepared emergency communication vehicles ready to be shipped to Taiwan.

Wang said the mainland's economic development provided opportunities for telecommunications companies on both sides to benefit from cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2009)