China's government, quick to offer its assistance to Japan after Friday's devastating earthquake despite the two nations' sometimes rocky relations, continued on Monday to emphasize its desire to help its neighbor. At the end of his annual news conferenceâ 'a two-hour-and-forty-minute affair at which none of the selected questioners asked about the earthquake--Premier Wen Jiabao told Japanese reporters in the room that he had a message (in Chinese):

Three days ago, Japan suffered an enormous earthquake disaster of the sort rarely seen in history, causing great loss of life and property for the Japanese people. I want to take this opportunity to express deep condolences for the Japanese who lost their lives in this tragedy, to express sincere sympathy for all Japanese people. China is also a country with many earthquakes, and we share your feelings. When the huge earthquake hit Wenchuan, Japan’s government sent a rescue team, and gave China material support. Our rescue team arrived in Japan yesterday, and we are transporting relief materials to Japan. We are ready to continue to provide needed assistance according to Japan’s requirements. Please convey this.

Shortly after Mr. Wen spoke, the state-run Xinhua new agency quoted China's Ministry of Commerce as saying Beijing planned to provide roughly $4.6 million in humanitarian assistance to support disaster relief efforts in Japan. The report noted that a 15-member Chinese rescue team had arrived in Japan on Sunday and said an initial shipment of blankets, tents, emergency lights and other relief materials will be sent to Japan from Shanghai. A team of 30 doctors, nurses and radiation control experts has also been assembled and is ready to be dispatched to Japan if needed, Xinhua said.

In a separate report, Xinhua on Sunday night quoted experts from the Beijing-based Regional Specialized Meteorological Center with the World Meteorological Organization as saying that radiation leaks so far at a nuclear power plant in northern Japan 'poses no immediate threat to China.'

As winds continue blowing eastward over Japan, the air at the mid- and lower-levels will carry radioactive pollutants to the northeast of Japan, while pollutants at the upper level will be blown southeastward in the next 60 hours and move northward after that, said Zhou Bin, senior engineer with the WMO’s center in Beijing.

The Beijing center is among WMO’s eight worldwide centers which predict the long-range movement of air-borne radioactivity. The system also provides notification and real-time information linkage between the Incident and Emergency Center of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and WMO.

China is located to the west of Japan, with the two countries being separated by the Korean Peninsula and the seas. Therefore, the radioactive substances released by the damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan’s quake-stricken regions will have no impact on China over the next three days, Zhou said.

According to Zhou, the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant has been assessed to be at the level four on the International Nuclear Event Scale, which runs from one to seven.

According to the IAEA’s definition, a level-four nuclear accident is defined as having “local consequences,” including a “minor release of radioactive material.”

Chen Xiaoqiu, a researcher with the radioactive safety center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, echoed Zhou by saying that judging from the current wind orientation, the radioactive material leaked from the damaged reactors at the Fukushima plant should not affect China.

“What we have monitored so far shows that no abnormal radiation has been detected in Chinese territory,” said Chen, adding the public need not have to panic about the radioactivity.

Separately, the Chinese embassy in Japan has reported that 6,957 Chinese nationals in the country had been confirmed safe as of 9:00 a.m. Monday, Xinhua says.

Meanwhile, China's Commerce Minister, Chen Deming, told reporters on the sidelines of the National People's Congress Sunday that the earthquake isn't likely to have a large impact on China-Japan trade, and that any effect from the quake will be temporary.

尽管中日两国时有摩擦，但周五日本发生强烈地震后，中国政府迅速施以援手，并在周一继续强调其帮助邻国的意愿。在全国人大会议闭幕后的记者会结束时，温家宝总理对在场的日本记者说，他有几句话要说：

Lui Siu Wai/Xinhua/Zuma Press2011年3月14日，中国国际救援队队员在日本岩手县大船渡市。三天以前，日本遭受了历史上罕见的特大地震灾害，给日本人民的生命财产造成了巨大的损失。我想借此机会，向在这次灾难中遇难的日本人民表示深切的哀悼，向全体日本人民表示诚挚的慰问。中国也是一个多地震的国家，我们感同身受。在汶川发生特大地震的时候，日本政府派了救援队，并且给中国以物资上的支援。我们的救援队昨天已经到达日本，我们运送的救灾物资也到达了日本。我们将根据日本的需要，愿意继续提供必要的帮助。请你代为转达。

在温家宝讲话后不久，官方媒体新华社援引商务部的话说，为支持日本政府和人民抗震救灾，中国政府将向日本政府提供3000万元人民币的人道主义救援物资。报道指出，中国救援队15名队员已于周日抵达日本，并说将从上海向日本运送首批毛巾被、帐篷、紧急照明设备和其他救援物资。新华社说，已经成立了一支30名医生、护士和辐射控制专家组成的团队，如有需要，他们将随时准备被派往日本。

另一报道中，新华社周日晚援引世界气象组织北京区域专业气象中心专家的话说，目前日本北部核电站核泄漏放射性污染物“对中国暂无影响”。

世界气象组织北京区域专业气象中心高级工程师周斌接受新华社记者采访时表示，目前日本上空为西风，未来仍以偏西风为主；放射性污染物在中低层大气主要朝东北方向扩散，在高层大气未来60小时内主要向东南方向扩散，60小时后转向北方扩散。

世界气象组织在全球设立了八个监测大气辐射污染长期运动的区域气象中心，北京区域专业气象中心是其中之一。该系统还提供国际原子能机构（IAEA）和世界气象组织的通知和实时信息关联。

周斌说，中国位于日本国的西面，中间又有日本海、朝鲜半岛、黄海、东海相隔。因此，日本地震受灾区的日本福岛第一核电站核泄漏放射性污染物未来三天对中国没有影响。

据周斌说，根据国际原子能机构核事件分级表的暂定值判断，日本核电站核泄漏事故相当于“伴有局部影响”的４级水平。国际核事故按严重程度被分为1至7级。

根据国际原子能机构的定义，4级核事故被定义为“造成局部性危害”，包括“轻微释放放射性物质”。

环境保护部核与辐射安全中心研究员陈晓秋也认为，从目前的风向看，日本核泄漏放射性物质不会影响中国。

他说，现在的监测结果显示，中国境内未发现任何放射性异常，民众无需担心。

新华社说，另外，中国驻日本大使馆公布，截至周一上午9点，有6,957名在日中国公民被证实平安。

与此同时，中国商务部部长陈德铭在周日全国人大会议间隙对记者说，日本地震不大可能对中日贸易产生大的影响，地震的任何影响都将是暂时的。