The first anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake, which according to some reports claimed the lives of more than 87,000 people and left nearly 400,000 injured, is drawing comment from China watchers everywhere.
Some analysts are focusing on the so called white paper which the State Council published on the eve of the May 12th anniversary. Among other things, the document purports to provide an accurate account of government efforts to prevent and react to catastrophic events such as serious earthquakes. The challenges government agencies face in China to respond to natural disasters, says the white paper, are “more serious and complicated” than in the past.
