China Aids Important Ally After Cyclone

May 7, 2008— -- China's plan to assert itself as a world power at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing did not include months of headlines about tainted food and counterfeit drugs, or weeks of worldwide protests over Tibetan independence. But the country's image may get a boost after its swift reaction to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Myanmar in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, experts told ABC News.com.

China pledged $1 million in cash and supplies to Myanmar, formerly Burma, devastated by a storm that hit the country's largest city and food producing regions Saturday. Some 22,000 people are believed dead, 41,000 missing and as many as 1 million homeless in the Southeast Asian country, according to estimates by the United Nations.

"China and Myanmar are good neighbors. We believe the people of Myanmar can overcome the obstacles caused by the cyclone and recover their losses as soon as possible," Qin Gang, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry told reporters Tuesday.

China, in recent years, has become an economic powerhouse, and has increasingly looked to parlay its financial heft into geopolitical prominence, courting developing countries and earning Western scorn for its attitudes on human rights. With the eyes of the world trained on China in the lead up to the August games, many of the country's critics have used the Olympics and the ongoing torch relay to protest the country's support of Sudan, and occupation of Tibet.

"China can look at Myanmar and say: 'Here is a chance to improve our public relations. Here is a chance to bolster our message that our rise is peaceful and that we are a responsible stakeholder in the region and the world," said Adam Segal, a senior fellow in China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"Traditionally, China does not give a lot of foreign aid. One million dollars does not sound like much, but we'll have to wait and see if more is to come," Segal said.

China is in a particularly good position to help, experts said. Myanmar, ruled by a military junta since 1963, has been a pariah state for decades that has spurned, and been spurned by much of the international community. China's Communist regime, however, has remained a staunch ally of its neighbor, and as a result, been granted access to Myanmar's bountiful natural resources.