China may not be as wealthy as you might think. Read between the lines in this excerpt from a Bloomberg story. The pressure is on. If the Chinese don't respond, it is because they can't.
. . . China's response. It's no mystery that Beijing wants to boost ties here in Asia. The devastation from last weekend's tsunamis is a perfect chance for China to go further in selling its economy as a modern, benevolent one.
Yet China may have to do more than donate 21.63 million renminbi ($2.6 million) in disaster relief and send emergency search and rescue experts to the region. While it's a generous offer in light of China's challenges, this is an opportunity for China to score big points with neighbors. Will it rise to the occasion?
That's because all the money has gone to corrupt Communist officials' personal pockets. Witness how Li Peng family has converted the whole electricity industry asset to its own ownership, Jiang Zemin's sons having a free hand in China's telecommunications industry, and Zhu Rongji's sons in the finance sector.
Meanwhile, Beijing is officially running in reds (it has been on deficit for ages now).
These information is easily obtained from Chinese-language media. It's just because you Westerners don't have access to it. ;)