北京尚未做好接受国际援助的准备
Beijing Not Ready For Global Aid
2008年05月14日09:38
Wang Zhenyao, head of the Ministry of Civil Affairs' disaster-relief department, told reporters the government will accept aid 'in a timely way,' but 'conditions are not yet ripe to allow international organizations to enter disaster areas.'
With a death toll exceeding 12,000 people, China's crisis has prompted an outpouring of offers of aid from other countries.
Its hesitation to accept outside help comes as observers inside and outside the country watch how China's government handles the massive relief effort. Disaster experts say China is better equipped to deal with big catastrophes than neighboring Myanmar, victim of a deadly cyclone earlier this month, and officials are anxious to prove the nation's self-sufficiency. But time is also running short for the heavily injured and for any survivors trapped under rubble.
There are early signs that medical needs are overwhelming authorities. At a temporary shelter in the city of Mianzhu in Sichuan province Tuesday morning, hundreds were gathered at one of the shelters. Nurses guarded boxes of medical supplies.
One man broke a wooden plank into two and placed a piece under his friend's arm to set his broken bones. Nurses haven't been able to attend to him.
'What can we do? Even us doctors and nurses have not had any food or water,' said Xiao Kairui, a doctor working at the site.
Japan, the U.S., South Korea, Russia and New Zealand are among the countries offering aid. International aid agencies are also on standby, waiting for a signal that their help would be welcome.
China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported that China's president, Hu Jintao, and U.S. President George W. Bush spoke by phone Tuesday about the quake, Tibet and other issues.
China has dispatched nearly 20,000 soldiers and armed policemen to the area, with an additional 30,000 soldiers on the way, Xinhua reported. China's Ministry of Finance said it had allocated 860 million yuan ($123 million) in aid for quake-hit areas.
Its efforts have won praise in some quarters.
'The government response is very fast and effective,' said Guo Xin, the China-based national program officer for Mercy Corps, the international aid group.
Still, bad weather and damaged roads in the mountainous Sichuan province have made it difficult for China's armed forces to reach the worst-hit areas. On Tuesday, torrential rains forced the People's Liberation Army to scrub plans to parachute troops and supplies into an area near the epicenter, called Wenchuan, Xinhua reported.
China isn't averse to all foreign aid. It is one of the biggest recipients of concessionary lending and grants from international donors such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, while it also employs cash from national grants of governments like Japan's. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says China accepted some $1.7 billion in 2005, the fifth-highest total world-wide.
The earthquake devastation has prompted Chinese authorities to simplify the Olympic torch relay in China ahead of the summer games in August in Beijing. Sun Weide, spokesman for the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, said festivities would be altered to show respect for quake victims as the torch wends its way through Jiangxi province this week. The changes will 'combine people's enthusiasm for the torch relay with disaster relief,' said Mr. Sun.
Mei Fong / Jason Leow / Loretta Chao / James T. Areddy
中
国表示暂不接受外方为应对一场几十年来最严重的地震而提供的援助，原因是部分地区道路交通依然受阻。中国自己的救援队只能徒步前往受灾地区，并在考虑进行空降。
民政部救灾救济司司长王振耀对记者说，中国政府将及时接受国际社会援助，但目前难以安排国际救援队伍前往灾区。
此次地震的死亡人数已超过12,000人，促使其他国家纷纷提出将给予援助。
在中国国内外观察家都在关注中国政府如何进行大规模救援时，中国政府对于接受外来援助却迟疑不决。灾害专家称，比起本月早些时候遭受飓风之灾的邻国缅甸，中国能更好地应对严重自然灾害，同时，中国官员也急于证明中国自身的能力。但对于重伤员和困在废墟下的幸存者而言，时间也越来越紧迫了。
初步迹象显示，政府面临的医疗救助工作异常繁重。周二上午在四川省绵竹市的一个临时避难所里，数百人聚集在一起。护士们守着一盒盒医用品。
一名男子将一块木板劈成两半，将其中一块垫在他朋友骨折的胳膊下面用于固定。护士还没能顾上他。
在现场工作的医生肖凯瑞说，我们能做什么呢，就连我们这些医生和护士也没有食品和饮用水。
日本、美国、韩国、俄罗斯、新西兰等国都表示愿意提供援助。国际援助机构也随时待命，等待着中国政府愿意接受援助的信号。
新华社报导，中国国家主席*和美国总统布什(George W. Bush)周二就地震、西藏及其他问题通了电话。
新华社报导称，中国已向灾区派遣近2万名士兵和武警，还有3万名士兵已经出发前往灾区。中国财政部称，已下拨人民币8.60亿元（合1.23亿美元）用于救灾。
中国政府的举措在一些地方赢得了赞誉。
国际援助组织美慈组织(Mercy Corps)驻中国项目官郭欣说，政府的反应十分迅速，效率很高。
然而，多山的四川省的恶劣天气和毁坏的道路令中国军队难以到达受灾最严重的地区。新华社称，周二，瓢泼大雨迫使中国人民解放军取消了向震中附近的汶川空降部队和空投物质的计划。
中国并非不愿意接受所有外国援助。中国是世界银行(World Bank)和亚洲发展银行(Asian Development Bank)等国际援助机构最大的受援国之一，同时还接受日本等国的国家拨款。红十字会与红新月会国际联合会(International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)表示，中国2005年接受了约17亿美元的援助，在全球排名第五。
地震灾害促使中国有关当局简化了8月北京奥运会之前的国内火炬传递。北京奥组委发言人孙维德说，火炬本周在江西省传递时，庆祝活动将改为向地震死难者默哀。孙维德说，这样的变化将人们参与火炬传递的热情与抗震救灾结合起来。
Mei Fong / Jason Leow / Loretta Chao / James T. Areddy
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