Comments on: Where is the China Earthquake Donation Money Going?

By: China Declares War on an Old Nemesis

China Declares War on an Old Nemesis — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:05:52 +0000

[...] corruption in a country that is in dire need of such measures. As I wrote about in a post entitled Where is the China Earthquake Donation Money Going?, rampant corruption in China leads to the loss of millions of dollars every year that are [...]

By: Zhang Fei

Zhang Fei — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:24:51 +0000

I think it is very bad to undermind the government’s effort to help the earthquake victims by making accusation based on rumors or isolated cases of corruption.

If the government really wants to help the earthquake victims, nothing can stop it from doing so. It has $1.7T in foreign exchange reserves (this money belongs to the people, of course, not government officials) it can use. Donations are more a gesture of solidarity than anything else.

As to rumors and so on, that’s what you get when the government gets to arrest journalists and close down newspapers that report news it doesn’t like. The function of rumors and hearsay is to put so much pressure on the government that it eventually has to investigate corruption within its ranks. But the truth is that the central government can’t really look too closely at these things - otherwise, the falsity of the benevolent central government/crooked local government facade might become apparent for all to see. The reality might be that they are all crooked, and the central government appoints local government grandees to facilitate its corruption. (Note that the executed ex-Chinese FDA head wasn’t a local government official).

By: Robert Vance

Robert Vance — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:00:36 +0000

@Yugung,

If you gave money to the government, good for you; I hope it gets to Sichuan. Most of my Chinese friends told me that they chose NOT to give money to the government because of the corruption that exists at the local levels. I think many Chinese people would beg to differ with you when you state that the accusation of corruption is based on “rumors or isolated cases.” And what why must we “understand the situation in the earthquake zone?” Is the desperate situation there somehow an excuse for corruption? Please clarify.

By: yugung

yugung — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:55:03 +0000

I think it is very bad to undermind the government’s effort to help the earthquake victims by making accusation based on rumors or isolated cases of corruption.
One must understand the situation in the earthquake zone.

By: The Three Gorges Dam and the Earthquake in China

The Three Gorges Dam and the Earthquake in China — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:30:26 +0000

[...] Gorges Dam, is the ongoing problem of corruption in China. As I wrote in another post recently, corruption has already ‘reared its ugly head’ in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake. Reports are coming out of the affected regions that the [...]

By: kedaiclick

kedaiclick — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:30:22 +0000

i feel so pity with a situation at china right now… i hope all china citizen and world helps among them to give their more support to claim live again..

By: Friends of World Heritage

Friends of World Heritage — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:32:51 +0000

The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuary, a cherished World Heritage site and home to 30% of the world’s remaining pandas, was damaged by the quake. Friends of World Heritage (a grassroots initiative created by the United Nations Foundation with Expedia, Inc. and UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre) has launched a campaign to aid relief efforts.
To learn more, please visit https://secure.globalproblems-globalsolutions.org/site/Donation2?idb=922467088&df_id=1160&1160.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr006=rxcaaac41f.app5b

100% of donations go directly to those in need.

By: Responsible Bloggers: China earthquake coverage : ResponsibleChina.com: Environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship in China.

Fri, 30 May 2008 03:46:35 +0000

[...] Where is the China Earthquake Donation Money Going? By Robert Vance The China Teaching Web May 29, 2008 “I don’t think that the donations are getting to the earthquake victims,” a friend of mine somberly told me recently. “A few of my friends came back from Mianyang recently,” he explained, “and they told me that the earthquake survivors were not being given enough food and water.” It was feared, he said, that the much of the money was being pocketed by local officials or being used to fund activities that were unrelated to the tragedy in Sichuan. [...]

By: Good hands

Good hands — Fri, 30 May 2008 02:56:20 +0000

China steps up relief supplies supervision, fight against corruption

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/27/content_8262142.htm