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[teachfortoday]

84% of Chinese netizens don't support aid to the Philippines
http://shanghaiist.com/2013/11/16/84_of_chinese_netizens_dont_support.php

"By Alexandra Hoegberg in Hong Kong
On Thursday morning, QQ’s news site published a rather lengthy article addressing the criticism China has received from the international community for its meager donations to the disaster-struck Philippines. The article ended with a poll, asking the simple question “Do you think China should aid the Philippines?” Within roughly 24 hours, over 160,000 persons had cast their vote: An overwhelming 84% of them said that they do not support aid to the Philippines.
Thousands have perished and hundreds of thousands are displaced in the Philippines in the wake of typhoon Haiyan. The official confirmed death toll on Thursday was 2,357, Reuters reported, though it is believed that many more - as many as 10,000 people - may have lost their lives.
China was shamed after its original donation of only US$200,000 USD (roughly 1.2 million yuan) were offered by the Chinese Red Cross and the government together, though another 10 million yuan worth of relief-supplies such as tents and blankets were later added, Xinhua reported on Wednesday. This compares to, for example, the USD 10 million (60.9 million yuan) promised by Japan, another regional neighbor.
But despite the international reaction to China’s donation, if QQ’s pollsters are to be believed, the Chinese themselves would rather not send any aid at all.
“How much aid China should give to the Philippines is none of other countries’ concern. This is China’s own business. If you look at the international relation between China and the Philippines, we should not aid them. The Philippines is not such a good thing,“ one QQ user commented on the article.
Another user argued that the Philippines is “ungrateful” of donations, and warned: ”just wait until they regain their strength, then they’ll start to fight you”.
“The Philippines is ungrateful, let them fend for themselves!” another comment read.
One of the pollsters supporting aid to the Philippines called for China to be the “bigger person”, and commented: “Based on humanitarianism we must aid, based on a greater attitude we must aid.”
The relation between China and the Philippines has been strained by territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The Philippines is also at odds with both Hong Kong and Taiwan over other issues. Taiwan-Philippines relations went sour in May when Filipino coast guards shot a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters, which caused Taiwan to impose economic sanctions against the Philippines that weren’t lifted until three months later. Only earlier in November, Hong Kong warned that it would impose sanctions against the Philippines if the latter didn’t take steps to formally apologize for a 2010 hostage situation in Manila, where eight Hong Kong tourists were shot. (This one-month deadline, by the way, hasn’t been lifted despite the current crisis.)
Alexandra Hoegberg is a Hong Kong-based journalist and sinologist currently interning for Reuters. Follow her on Twitter at @AlexHoegberg."

[MisterButtkins]

Yeah, Chinese nationalism rears its ugly head again. I will absolutely never understand how they get so worked up about a bunch of rocks no one lives on.

[Javelin of Radiance]

If you want to find out what most people, or the average Joe on the street thinks, then online polls are not to be trusted. Appealing to anger and emotion issues (in this case China-PH dispute over those islands) only brings out those who want to vent their anonymous spleen on the internet. This probably doesn't reflect the population at large. Same if I want to find out what living and working in China is REALLY like I won't believe much of what I read on internet forums, because just like this online poll there's a disproportionate number of anonymous, angry, dissatisfied, whiny forum warriors who complain about everything. No offense intended folks There are far more non-forum inhabiting ESL teachers with normal lives that could give me a better indication of life here. I read another article on the same topic (China's meager donations to PH) and several Chinese that were actually interviewed by a live reporter agreed that their government should have given more. Maybe this is a more accurate reflection of Chinese public sentiment than the xx% against in a completely unreliable online poll.

[NoBillyNO]

It would be interesting to note donations made by Davesters in comparison.

[WLamar]

Good. The Philippines have been involved in a civil war for quite some time. Why should ANYONE help them now? Let them sort all their own things out themselves.

[teenoso]

What's disappointing about the Chinese contribution is that it is exactly what you would expect. Diplomatically inept , as well as several other things.

It would be good to see China do something from the left field - give an enormous aid package, and then see how the Philippines reacts.

American commentators are already talking about how their aid gives them a renewed edge in the region (equally pathetic and predictable , IMO).

[choudoufu]

[wonderingjoesmith]

Any aid from one to another should never be politicized. Any donation ought to remain charitable rather than exploitative. Both cultures, American and Chinese, are guilty, when it comes to donating or giving gifts. If traditions don't change, neither democracy nor peace will be possible.

As for the Philipines, the issue is the nation's poor governance. Supporting those people from accross the ocean is a goodwill gesture. Of course, some may perceive this aid as a moral obligation, but again if other countries administrations are pointed fingers at for inadequate donations, then we need to re-think the meaning of charities.