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anonymous
Q: Should CHINA help RP despite territorial row?
A province in the Philippines was severely battered by typhoon "Yolanda". Many international private and government organizations sent aid to the Philippines like US, Japan, and Germany. Should China also help this country even they are embroiled in a long-standing dispute over islands?
Yes and no
Yes because it is a good will gesture
No because they will expect something in return
They should, as a gesture of good will if nothing else. But I guess the Philippines would just refuse them anyways. They have already asked for and started receiving aid from the U.S. The refusal would be a big loss of face for China.
No, China and Hong Kong at this very moment are still considering punishment for the bus terror act in Philippines a few years ago, why? Because the Philippines never apologized correctly to Hong Kong, read up:
Tuesday, Nov 05, 2013
HONG KONG - Hong Kong's leader threatened sanctions against the Philippines on Tuesday over a row involving the deaths of its tourists in a 2010 hostage crisis in Manila.
The southern Chinese city is demanding a formal apology for the incident, which saw eight of its citizens killed and seven others wounded after negotiations broke down between Philippine authorities and a former police officer who hijacked a tour bus.
"Unless, within a month, there are concrete steps taken to resolve this issue, the government will take necessary actions to apply sanctions," chief executive Leung Chun-ying told reporters Tuesday morning, without going into specifics.
"I urge the Philippines government and/or the Manila municipal government to quickly come up with a proposal to respond to the families of the deceased and the requests of the injured," Leung added.
The apparent incompetence of the police outraged the residents of Hong Kong, a city accustomed to low crime rates, and saw relations with the Southeast Asian country nosedive.
Hong Kong has maintained a travel warning to the country since the episode, while the city's lawmakers have mooted a cancellation of its visa-free arrangement for visitors from the Philippines as well as possible trade sanctions.
More than 160,000 Philippine nationals reside in Hong Kong, with most working as domestic helpers. Bilateral trade between the two totalled some $8.2 billion in 2012.
In October, Manila mayor Joseph Estrada offered to issue apologise for the hostage-taking incident.
But Philippine President Benigno Aquino has refused to make an apology on behalf of the country, insisting the deaths were primarily caused by the actions of the hostage taker.
Manila has offered compensation of US$75,000 (S$93,200) to each family of the deceased and up to US$150,000 to those injured, media reports said.
But the families involved in the hostage crisis have not accepted the money, saying the amount was too low.
skunkman:
It is unfortunate that our president won't make an apology. I guess for him to apologise is to admit that the special team, if I could even call it that, failed miserably in securing the safety and lives of the hostages. It was another one of those episodes of which I am certainly not proud of. The whole debacle felt as if though it were a movie-in-the-making; people watching all around and officials showing up for photo ops.
ironman510:
Alam ko pulis kilos sa PH, kasi meron traboho ako sa PH for 5 years sa Makati. So I speak tagalog a little bit still.. Pulis isip pera or a prize before saving life, so their training is out of date... Isip ko China wala paki alam sa PH kasi, kawawa sa PH talaga, I wish China would help, but I don't think they will..
beaufortninja:
They said the compensation offered was too low. Exactly how much money do they get when the government seizes their home or a family member is killed accidentally? Probably nowhere near 75K.
Of course China should support.
China is never first in line to offer the international community help. In this case my own home country donated money even before the wind had died down. China's proximity to The Philippines means it would be possible to sail some supplies and manpower for distribution down there before people start to perish due to the aftereffects of the destruction.
But. I doubt China will even offer to help build some second rate buildings, if three is no payment.
yes , because they are a rich country and political crap should not interfere with humanitarian aid.
I have a question, has China or HK offered to help yet? I'll google it..
Scandinavian:
yeah it has http://www.businessinsider.com/china-pledges-100000-in-typhoon-aid-2013-11
My tiny tiny country has already donated more than 20 times that
$100000 is a joke, it is litterally saying to the world. "We're a big cry-baby that will never grow up
You can behave like an adult and put aside the saber-rattling and give a hand to a mauled neighbor. Or you can behave like an angry, insecure spoiled kid and just give token help with much rambling. Choices 
If China and the Chinese people want to be leaders in the world they must Lead!!! One can not expect to seriously be considered as a world leader if it acts in a petty way when natural disasters strike. Territorial disputes are between governments not the citizens of respective nations. I am from the US and acknowledge that my government is broken. It no longer works the way it was intended to work. That does not mean I do not love my country or that my country is not good. I am a veteran who served in the Army for 20 years and I have come to realize it is the actions that matter not the rhetoric. The US is a leader in the world not because of its government, but in spite of its government.
Today China Daily reports that 33 nations have offered support and relief aid. China offering aid is not mentioned. The headline reads U.S. and British "WAR SHIPS" bring aid. Why use the term war ships? Why not military or navies?
As a Filipino, I would like to thank the many nations and individuals (local or otherwise) who have come forward to offer their help and assistance, as well as their prayers.
As of writing, China (as many other nations) have expressed their help, and are already helping. However, this "initial" help seems to based on China's concern of Chinese public opinion regarding this matter. It seems that they fear how the Chinese public may react with regards the amount they give. I know this has a lot to do with the Spratly Islands issue and the botched hostage taking in Manila, but for the sake of HUMAN LIFE, I know you can do better.
I know you have your own problems, including the effects of the same typhoon in your country, and I know there are other "issues" between our countries, but let your people know that they do care, that they are compassionate, and that they are human.
Just the same, thank you again...abeit a hard and bitter one to swallow.
P.S. For those of you who would like to donate, please do so through legitimate websites, agencies, or organizations. There are simply too many assholes who love to take advantage of such situations.
skunkman:
Thanks for the concern. Unfortunately, a few family acquaintances didn't make it. We're still waiting for further news regarding other friends.
It looks as if the public opinion in China is not in favor of supporting their neighbors
http://news.sina.com.cn/w/2013-11-12/054728683751.shtml try to look at the comment section, I am aware the morons shine brightest here, but I see no comments with any type of compassion for those suffering from this natural disaster.
skunkman:
Thanks for the link...hmm...well, people do have their personal opinions (moronic or otherwise) regarding the matter. However, it wouldn't surprise me if some Filipinos would make the same stupid comments in the reversal of events. There exists morons in this world of ours...morons whose lives are probably dictated by other imbeciles.
Scandinavian:
naturally, all nations have their share of morons, but some nations are better at breeding them than others.
harryjohn:
http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/nm/china-says-people-sympathetic-about-philippines-online-criticism-unrepresentative
Scandinavian:
it's strange none of the 2 million Wumaos flagged some of the negative comments to be taken down, that would have been the harmonious thing to do.
Did the Phillipines do much for China during the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake? I don't know the answer to that one.
I feel deeply for those who lost people in the Phillipines. Nonetheless the Washington Post carried a rather damning front-page article today about the corruption and outright looting of aid destined for those poor souls who so desperately need it. Entire shipments of medical supplies were simply stolen, looted, whatever, right off the airfields.
skunkman:
I'm pretty sure we did. If I'm not mistaken, I think we sent a medical team and some amount of financial aid.
Yes, it's true regarding the usual corruption that happens around here; even at times of need. There has been theft of food aid, medical supplies, etc. Unfortunately, the government hasn't been doing a good job at securing such aid supplies. Understandably, some have looted out of desperation, especially food. Sad.
belle_watson:
Dear Skunkman, it's a beautiful (or it was a beautiful country until this cyclone) and my heart is heavy for you and your countryfolk. I fear that the worst is not behind you all yet, however, and if I don't donate, it's not because I am stingy or ill-compassionate. I just don't want my hard earned money to end up in some corrupt Filipino official's Swiss bank account (or perhaps a Hong Kong one at that).
I actually fear that the death toll will easily reach 100,000 souls in the end, if not much more.
BW
China Ministry of Foreign Affairs: we just donated another 10 million to the Phillipines.
Do I need to remind anyone that the US government only donated 500 thousand dollars to the Wenchuan, Sichuan earthquake, that took away 80 thousand of Chinese lives?
And Saudi Arab donated 50 million US $ for China earthquake immediately!
BEIJING (AP) -- The outpouring of international aid to the Philippines makes China's contribution for typhoon relief look like a trickle: Several countries and even Swedish furniture chain Ikea have done more than the world's second-largest economy. That won't help Beijing's campaign to win over neighbors with its soft power.
China has pledged less than $2 million in cash and materials, compared to $20 million provided by the United States, which also launched a massive military-driven rescue operation that includes an aircraft carrier.
Another Chinese rival, Japan, has pledged $10 million and offered to send troops, ships and planes. Australia is giving $28 million, and Ikea has offered $2.7 million through its charitable foundation.
China's reluctance to give more — driven by a bitter feud with Manila over overlapping claims in the South China Sea — dents its global image at a time when it is vying with Washington for regional influence.
"China has missed an excellent opportunity to show itself as a responsible power and to generate goodwill," said Zheng Yongnian, a China politics expert at the National University of Singapore. "They still lack strategic thinking."
ironman510:
China's generosity with the Philippines hasn't entirely dried up. It pledged $80,000 to the Philippines last month following a major earthquake there, in addition to this week's pledges. And President Xi Jinping expressed his sympathy to his Philippine counterpart Benigno Aquino in the latest disaster, although a five full days later and without mentioning assistance.
Chinese leaders are notoriously sensitive to public opinion on foreign affairs. On the Chinese Internet, the chief outlet for such expression, sentiment is strongly against providing aid.
"Why should we donate to the Philippines so that they can arm themselves with warships and aircraft? Is the Philippines a country that understands gratitude? Didn't we show our warm heart to the country? What did we get from that? Nothing," Fu Yao, a popular maker of micro-films, wrote on his miniblog.
the usual questions go unanswered, so i will ask
i have travelled all over the world and many filipinos absolutely hate the chinese, they control many businesses in the philippines, sort of like people from india run hotels in america, chinese do not pay them well and work them very long hours and now the koreans are taking over the bars, such as angeles city.
so why cant filipinos take care and run their own businesses to compete
why do the chinese treat employees bad no matter what country they happen to be in?
saw this in africa also,
why is america supporting a country so corrupt, so backward and have such a lousy standard of living. its embarrassing to compare the phillipines and china and america has failed to bring down the big stick to make the philippines a decent country to live in.
the fact that i feel safer in china than the philippines is a very sad statement despite political views day to day, i look at the long term results, china's great embarrassment is north korea and america's is the philippines and mexico.
why does a country that has had typhoons for centuries not know how to respond and do an decent job and not look and act like chaos is the norm.
filipinos are very hard working and much smarter than most chinese, but the country sucks so bad, that most of them work abroad and never come back, why?
an educated society that cant or want get rid of corruption, why?
they knew the typhoon was coming for 4 days and the effort to evacuate was dismal,
i hope the soul searching brings some real changes this time, but sadly someone else will be asking the same questions in 30 years and none of this will change.
if you want to know what happens in a country when religion teaches being poor and having lots of babies will guarantee to you heaven in the afterlife.
if you want to know what happens when you have very rich and politicians an very poor, but little or no middle class and they depend on foreign money from relatives to live, move to the philippines.
i have a home in manilla and davao and the people i know are wonderful, but the government absolutely sucks. sadly, the chinese are pragmatist, and feel they dont deserve the assistance and i concur. the victim has to fight and die for change or nothing changes, also the philippines does not have much of a middle class to buy chinese goods and they have a huge duty on imported goods from china anyway, if china cant make money off of you, screw you.
It should but it's dragging its feet and looking like a petty, mean spirited twat in the process. Other countries would do well to remember China's behavior on this issue the next time Sichuan gets flattened. Since China's so "rich" now, surely it doesn't need any foreign aid of any kind.
