China's president offers condolences at Japan's embassy

China's President Hu Jintao (front) visits the Japanese embassy to convey a message of condolences for the victims of last Friday's massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan, in Beijing, March 18, 2011 in this photo distributed by China's official Xinhua News Agency.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's President Hu Jintao offered condolences to the victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami during an unusual visit to the country's embassy, state media reported.

Hu told Japan's Ambassador Uichiro Niwa in the visit on Friday that the Chinese people felt Japan's pain and suffering and offered continued aid, Xinhua news agency reported.

The president made the gesture a week after the twin disasters crippled northeast Japan and sparked fears of meltdown at a damaged nuclear plant. Nearly 7,000 people were confirmed dead and more than 10,000 were still missing.

"We hope the Japanese people will quickly overcome the difficulties and rebuild their homeland," Hu said.

Tension between the two neighbors had been high in recent months. Relations chilled last September after a Chinese fishing trawler collided with Japanese patrol vessels near a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea, close to potentially vast oil and gas reserves.

Chinese leaders, including Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao, were quick to send sympathy and offers of support immediately after the disaster struck, including a 15-member rescue team and 30 million yuan ($4.5 million) in relief supplies.

In 2008, Hu thanked Japanese rescue teams that had searched for survivors of the Sichuan earthquake, in which more than 80,000 died. He again thanked the ambassador on Friday.

Hu sent a message to Japanese Emperor Akihito on Monday expressing sympathy for the victims of the disaster.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Ron Popeski)