China's Earthquake: A new relief call

One measure of how China has changed can be seen through the government's handling of natural disasters. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated Sichuan and surrounding provinces was followed by an almost immediate all-hands-on-deck call by the Chinese government and an acknowledgement of a serious emergency.

It remains to be seen whether the country accepts foreign aid, already offered by President Bush and European leaders, but the fact that the country is openly addressing the disaster and has not (yet) outright refused all help is itself a sign of progress.

According to the country's official news agency Xinhua, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has traveled to Sichuan to oversee the rescue efforts.

Also interesting is the fact that the Chinese media have been covering the quake and reporting damage and fatality estimates -- which are understandably fluctuating.

Consider that when the Great Tangshan earthquake hit in 1976 (by official estimates resulting in about 242,000 deaths), it resulted in more political fallout than anything else. According to a 1979 Time magazine article, only three years after that quake did Chinese officials begin sharing details about the disaster. The country refused all international help, focusing instead on re-enforcing communist ideology. The name of a left-wing campaign, "Resist the Earthquake, Rescue Ourselves," more or less said it all, while Deng Xiaoping was accused of hampering relief efforts for political gain.

We see signs that things are different this time around and we hope that China's doors will be open to any and all needed aid.