China's meager aid to the Philippines could dent its image

[frigidmagi]

Yahoo

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.

Countries offer aid for typhoon-ravaged Philippine …Play video."Countries offer aid for typhoon-ravaged Philippines, …
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."

Super Typhoon Haiyan tore through the central Philippines on Friday and flattened the city of Tacloban, where officials fear 10,000 people died. Officials fear the toll could rise sharply as rescuers reach more isolated towns.

Overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster, the Philippines has sought international assistance.

The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS George Washington, carrying about 5,000 sailors and more than 80 aircraft, will arrive this week after setting sail from Hong Kong on Tuesday. It has been joined by four other U.S. Navy ships.

The United States is also providing $20 million in immediate aid. Japan said it will give $10 million and send a small number of soldiers and medical personnel.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China would consider more aid as the situation developed, but did not say why Beijing had offered less than other countries.

"China has also suffered from the disaster, so we very much understand and sympathize with the current hardships that the Philippine people are facing," Qin told a regular briefing, referring to the deaths of at least seven people and $734 million in economic losses when the much-weakened storm swiped China's southern provinces.

"We are willing to consider providing more support and aid within our capacity as it goes."

Lye Liang Fook of the East Asian Institute in Singapore said it was impossible to separate China's anger over territorial claims from the question of disaster relief.

"Politically there is a lack of trust, and under the circumstances, the fact that China is willing to extend aid is quite significant," he said. "The two issues are linked to each other."

Comments on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter, overwhelmingly opposed China giving aid to the Philippines.

"For God's sake, give them nothing," wrote one user. "We've given them enough in the past."

Cheng said public sentiment would factor into China's decision.

"I certainly think that relief and aid for natural disasters should not be affected by political relations. But the Chinese authorities are handicapped by domestic nationalist feelings as well," he said. "China should have used the opportunity to improve its image."

What really burns about this? In 2008 in response to a little earthquake the Philippines despite being a very poor nation, sent 450,000 dollars (more then double what the Chinese are sending now) and medical teams. In short China has come off as petty, mean and grasping.

[fgalkin]

$2 million is less than $450 thousand? Or does only money count and tents and emergency supplies do not?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[frigidmagi]

The Article says 200,000 total F'galkin.

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.

Now if things has changed and China has promised more money, by all means share with us with your source.

[fgalkin]

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. The article is bullshit.

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-chin ... es-2013-11

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[frigidmagi]

Well let's take a look at your article here...

Australia offered $30 million; the Europeans $11 million; the United Arab Emirates promised $10 million. China offered $100,000.

Oh hey...

The media backlash was immediate. Within days, an embarrassed Beijing upped its pledge to $1.6 million.

So the article isn't bullshit, it's out of date. By your own source China orginally only offered 100,000 (it doesn't mention the additional 100k from the Chinese Red Cross) but when under fire it increased it's pledge to 1.6 million, which is indeed as you pointed out more then 450,000.

Thanks for updating us.

[General Havoc]

1.6 million is still a meager amount of aid given what everyone else is offering.

[Josh]

1.6 million is still a meager amount of aid given what everyone else is offering.

It's the foreign aid equivalent of 'Hey, let me see how much change I have in the couch here.'

[frigidmagi]

Depends on the country Josh, for Turkmenistan for example, 1.6 million to another country would be a real chunk of change.

Of course China isn't Turkmenistan, it's the 2nd largest economy in the world and most rapidly expanding one to boot so from China 1.6 is a rather small number.

[Norseman]

Depends on the country Josh, for Turkmenistan for example, 1.6 million to another country would be a real chunk of change.

Of course China isn't Turkmenistan, it's the 2nd largest economy in the world and most rapidly expanding one to boot so from China 1.6 is a rather small number.

Norway coughed up $1.6 million (10 million kroner to be precise) within two days as part of a minor TV fundraiser. For the Chinese *government* to offer that sum is obviously political.

[frigidmagi]

Where did I say it wasn't?

[Josh]

To put the original donation into perspective, during one of the football games today a local news station was bragging about their fundraiser. My little flyspeck of West Texas pulled over 100k.

(Go team.)

[General Havoc]

To put the original donation into perspective, during one of the football games today a local news station was bragging about their fundraiser. My little flyspeck of West Texas pulled over 100k.

(Go team.)

A couple of local radio stations around the Bay Area put a fundraiser together yesterday for the Philippines and netted $380,000 in eight hours. Twice the amount the government of China originally pledged, and a full quarter of the amount they finally came to pledge under pressure.

Shameful.

[Lys]

Seems the Chinese are pursuing a strategy of helping States that work in line with its interests, and snubbing those that don't. Which isn't unusual for a Great Power or anything, but as always context is important. The Philippines are are a relatively poor country that are not China's enemy or even a real regional rival, so not helping them out when disaster strikes looks, well, uncivilized from the Chinese. Being generous is useful, and by helping countries wreaked by disaster you improve your image not just in that country but also within the greater international community, it makes you look civilized and enlightened.

What we're seeing here is basically the Chinese not quite getting the hang of exercising soft power. They have adopted a particular strategy and approach to it, but as we can see it has some downsides. On the other hand, the Chinese leadership does need to consider the feelings of the Chinese people, and it seems that they largely don't want to give the Phillippines a damn thing. They might also be calculating that a year from now nobody's going to remember of care just how much aid each country gave in the wake of the typhoon. I would say that's right on its face, but wrong in subtle ways. These little things have a way of adding up in people's subconscious, so I think the Chinese committed an error by being so stingy.

Even more so because it's not that hard to appear far more generous than you actually are. You pledge an impressive sum of monetary aid, and then you nickle and dime it until the actual money helping Philipinos isn't that much. Don't give them cash, send medical and search and rescue teams over, send some heavy equipment and clean-up crews. Then tally every possible cost associated with the operation as aid given. Also, only send enough experienced personnel so that you don't make a cluster fuck of your operation and look like an dumb ass. Everyone else can be recently trained and inexperienced, so that by the time it's over they are experienced. Your logistics arm hasn't had any serious exercises in a while? Well congratulations, they've having one now. A foreign disaster is a great opportunity for you to see just how effective your forces are at delivering personnel, supplies, and equipment on short notice. If you can afford it, it's foolish not to take it.