Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Wednesday that China was paying a great deal of attention to the earthquake in Mexico that caused mass casualties and China expressed sincere condolences to the relatives of the victims.

Lu was addressing a daily news conference in Beijing after a powerful earthquake shook central Mexico on Tuesday, collapsing buildings in plumes of dust and killing at least 226 people.

The security of Chinese citizens in Mexico is a priority for the government and the Chinese embassy there immediately launched emergency consular protection procedures, Lu said.

"As far as we know, the earthquake trapped some Taiwan compatriots and one of them was injured," he said. "The Chinese Foreign Ministry and diplomatic missions in Mexico will closely follow the situation and offer timely assistance to Chinese citizens."

The quake is the deadliest in Mexico since a 1985 quake on the same date killed thousands. It came less than two weeks after another powerful quake caused 90 deaths in the country's south, according to the Associated Press.