I have been reading with horror the unfolding news of the major earthquake that struck China’s Sichuan province earlier this week. Having just returned from 6 months living in China — in Xi’an, more precisely, which is not too far from epicenter of the quake — the news of the aftermath hits much closer to home. Living and growing up in Vancouver, the threat of a major earthquake is never that far away, and the idea of something like this striking Vancouver is unimaginable.

Reading the public reaction, at least here Canada, to the devastation has been challenging. The quake happened right at a time when criticism of China’s human rights policies and policy towards Tibet in the lead up to the Olympics was at its peak. Underlying this criticism there is also an unstated fear of China’s growing economic dominance as North American economies head further into recession. Watching people struggle to switch from China bashing to sympathy for those affected by the earthquake is to get a sense of how complex and tangled these issues are. At least in China, unlike in Burma, people are supported by a strong military and a central government that is acting in the interests of its people. On the other hand, this self-sufficiency makes me feel powerless to do anything to help.