BEIJING — Stung by criticism that it was playing politics with disaster, the Chinese government said it was contributing money and aid worth $1.64 million to typhoon victims in the Philippines.
Beijing has come under fire at home and abroad for initially providing $100,000 in aid, seen as a reflection of a continuing territorial spat between the two countries over islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
Several countries and even Swedish furniture chain Ikea and beverage giant Coca-Cola have done more than the world’s second-largest economy. The United States, by comparison, has provided $20 million and also launched a massive military-driven rescue operation that includes an aircraft carrier.
Even the Global Times, a Communist Party newspaper, editorialized against the Chinese government. “If it snubs Manila this time, China will suffer great losses,” the newspaper wrote in a front-page editorial. “China, as a responsible power, should participate in relief operations to assist a disaster-stricken neighboring country.”
