Quarterlife Café » A Tale of Two Countries: China & Myanmar

A Tale of Two Countries: China & Myanmar

May 15th, 2008 by Kim

It’s difficult to comprehend the magnitude of the tragedies in Myanmar and China this week. Both countries have suffered tremendous losses of life, and we will see more lives lost if help is not swiftly and effectively provided.

The two countries’ authoritarian governments reacted to relief efforts differently. With now more than 100,000 people estimated missing or dead in Myanmar from Cyclone Nargis, the country’s secretive military government has been slow to accept the international aid that survivors now desperately need.

In China, the death toll from Monday’s 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province rose past 15,000 on Wednesday, with thousands more trapped or missing. That number will almost certainly increase in the days ahead.

The Chinese Communist Party has not embraced foreign aid workers with open arms, but unlike Myanmar, China has the capacity to send 50,000 soldiers to the devastated region to help with relief efforts. Official reports of the damage in Myanmar came slowly and were confusing, but Chinese media have been reporting on the death toll and the damage with increased openness.

Natural disasters and political events can be eerily linked in China. When media call this week’s quake “China’s deadliest earthquake in three decades,” they are referring to the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that killed more than 240,000 people in the northeast region of the country. That was one of the most turbulent years in modern Chinese history — Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai both died in 1976, and that the was the year the Cultural Revolution ended.

It seems 2008 may be stacking up to be another one of those years for China — the earthquake follows a spate of intense snowstorms in January and an Olympic torch relay mired in controversy as the country prepares for the Games in August.

China received plenty of criticism (deserved or not) regarding the Tibet protests in March, but after this week’s events, we’ll almost certainly see a change in China coverage. Now hardly seems the time to assess the political fallout from the disaster. Even so, you can be sure the world will be watching to see how China responds with less than 3 months to go before the opening ceremonies.

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Related:

Peter Hessler in The New Yorker, After the Earthquake (Hessler’s former students from his books River Town and Oracle Bones report on the disaster that struck close to home.)
Gady A. Epstein in Forbes Magazine, China’s Mandate of Heaven
Daniel Goldbloom in the National Post, Cyclone Nargis, The Sichuan Earthquake and Authoritarian Disaster Relief: Burma vs. China
Danwei’s coverage of China and Myanmar, Danwei.org
American Red Cross, ways to help survivors of the China Earthquake and Myanmar Cyclone

photo: Rescuers search for survivors in a collapsed road in Beichuan County, Sichuan province. AP / Cong Feng, Xinhua

Tags: 2008 sichuan earthquake, China, cyclone nargis, myanmar, natural disasters, sichuan

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6 Responses to “A Tale of Two Countries: China & Myanmar”

franksabunch:
May 15th, 2008 at 4:12 am
I’m always one to criticize the Chinese government, but not its people. Prayers for the victims and their families. However, I would have to say that both governments acted the same by *not* inviting outside aid.

With all the calls of how we were ready to go in with choppers and drop off food and supplies into Myanmar, it makes me wonder why the same process was bungled on our own soil during Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath. We can blame red politics as to why we are blocked internationally, but in our own country we have to blame the red tape.
M:
May 15th, 2008 at 7:12 am
My prayers go out to the people and families in China and Myanmar.
Richard:
May 15th, 2008 at 9:14 am
The desperate situation in Myanmar has raised a critical question: should an outside force, such as the United Nations, intervene in a sovereign nation’s affairs when that nation’s citizens are not receiving assistance from their own government? In other words, should the world stand by when a government refuses assistance and thousands might die because of its inaction?

Borders are dissolving. Globalization has brought the world closer together and the “United Nations” is truly becoming a world organization. I say we should boldly launch a massive humanitarian effort in Myanmar, with immediate air drops, whether the junta welcomes this effort or not. We don’t want another Rawanda on our consciences.
carolyn:
May 15th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
On yesterday’s news there were images of tons of crates of food in Myanmar - which have yet to be distributed by the government. It is so sad. I agree with Richard - a humanitarian effort needs to happen.
And a prayer for the poor Chinese people whose lives have suddenly and so unexpectedly been altered - in a bad way - forever. I never realized the eery link with politics and natural occurrences in China - thanks for shining the light on that Kimi. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.
jash:
May 15th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I’m not one to judge China’s government, but rather the people who abuse their positions of power and are able to hide it because of the lack of checks and balances.

Americans are so quick to push freedom, individuality and capitalism on other countries with different populations (size and distribution), different cultures, different economies/development level.

Democracy isn’t a one size fits all philosophy.

That being said, a government should never actively seek to deprive its citizens of aid in a time of need. The real question is how Burma can build a new government without the need of foreign intervention? We all know how well thats going BUSH.

I was hoping you’d eventually post something about this.
baby:
June 21st, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Nice website!!