To many, China‘s $200,000 against the US’s $20m will look more like an insult than aid. Even the UK has pledged £5m. Let’s hope it is a case of mis-reporting!
“China may have wasted the chance to build goodwill in Southeast Asia with its relatively paltry donation to the Philippines in the wake of a devastating typhoon, especially with the United States sending an aircraft carrier and Japan ramping up aid.
The world\’s second-largest economy is a growing investor in Southeast Asia, where it is vying with the United States and Japan for influence. But China\’s assertiveness in pressing its claim to the disputed South China Sea has strained ties with several regional countries, most notably the Philippines.
China\’s government has promised $100,000 in aid to Manila, along with another $100,000 through the Chinese Red Cross – far less than pledged by other economic heavyweights. Japan has offered $10 million in aid and is sending in an emergency relief team, for instance, while Australia has donated $9.6 million.
\”The Chinese leadership has missed an opportunity to show its magnanimity,\” said Joseph Cheng, a political science professor at the City University of Hong Kong who focuses on China\’s ties with Southeast Asia. \”While still offering aid to the typhoon victims, it certainly reflects the unsatisfactory state of relations (with Manila).\” China\’s ties with the Philippines are already fragile as a decades-old territorial squabble over the South China Sea enters a more contentious chapter, with claimant nations spreading deeper into disputed waters in search of energy supplies, while building up their navies. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the South China Sea, making it one of the region\’s biggest flashpoints. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a 10-nation grouping that includes the Philippines, has been talking to China about a binding code of conduct in South China Sea to ease the friction, but Beijing\’s frugal aid hints at a deeply entrenched rivalry that could make forging consensus difficult.
Even China\’s state-run Global Times newspaper, known for its nationalistic and often hawkish editorial views, expressed concern about the impact on Beijing\’s international standing. \”China, as a responsible power, should participate in relief operations to assist a disaster-stricken neighboring country, no matter whether it\’s friendly or not,\” the paper said in a commentary. \”China\’s international image is of vital importance to its interests. If it snubs Manila this time, China will suffer great losses.\””
via China’s meager aid to the Philippines could dent its image | Reuters.
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 
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