BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese mainland official on Wednesday conveyed condolences to victims in the earthquakes that occurred late Tuesday in the coastal areas near Pingtung County in southern Taiwan.

    Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council conveyed condolences to the earthquake victims in Taiwan and expressed solicitude to families and relatives of the victims at a regular press conference.

    Meanwhile, the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) on Wednesday wrote a letter to the Taiwan-based Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF), expressing solicitude to Taiwanese who suffer the severe earthquake disaster.

    The letter says: "we are distressed to learn that earthquakes that occurred from late Tuesday to early Wednesday in the coastal water near Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, have killed two, injured dozens and caused severe economic losses."

    "Mainland is greatly concerned about Taiwan's earthquake disaster situation and entrusts ARATS to convey condolences to the victims and deep sympathy to their families and all the people affected. We sincerely hope that people in earthquake-hit areas could overcome the disaster and restore normal life as early as possible," the letter reads.