China is offering aid to a devastated Burma (Myanmar), Xinhua reports:
China has decided to offer 1 million U.S. dollars worth of aid, including relief materials worth 500,000 U.S. dollars, to help Myanmar with its disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts. The first batch of relief materials had been delivered by Wednesday afternoon.
The Red Cross Society of China has also offered 30,000 U.S. dollars in disaster relief aid to Myanmar, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries has offered 10,000 U.S. dollars, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation announced to offer 100,000 U.S. dollars.
Yet Beijing is putting only mild pressure on the ruling junta there to cooperate with the international community in distributing relief supplies. From the Times:
Qin Gang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, has urged Burma to work with the international community. “We hope Myanmar will co-operate with the international community, will have consultation with the international community.”
Those apparently mild words mark a rare effort by Beijing to put some pressure on its neighbour.
But the spokesman reiterated China’s policy principle, saying: “We should take full consideration of Myanmar’s willingness and sovereignty.”
