China to scale down torch relay after quake

BEIJING, China (AP) -- Following Monday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake, Beijing's Olympics organizers will scale down Wednesday's torch relay in the southeastern city of Ruijin and open with a minute of silence in a symbolic gesture to the thousands who died.

Subsequent legs of the torch relay will also be simplified after Beijing's Olympics organizers consulted with the Chinese provinces. Donation boxes will be set up at the start and finish points along the routes to encourage aid to the relief work in Sichuan.

This came in the face of mounting pressure on Chinese-language Web sites and blogs, which overwhelmingly favored some kind of moratorium -- either now or next month when the torch enters Sichuan province.

The International Olympic Committee is giving $1 million to aid relief efforts. IOC president Jacques Rogge said Tuesday "this appears to be a major disaster, the scale of which is only just becoming apparent."

Rogge sent a letter of condolence to Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday after hearing about the earthquake.

The IOC says it will channel the funds through the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games, which will distribute the money to the appropriate relief organizations.

The rapid mobilization to stricken Sichuan province reflected the priority that China's leadership places on delivering efficient disaster relief while showing the world it stands ready for anything that may come during the Olympics in August.

Gu Linsheng, a researcher with Tsinghua University's Emergency Management Research Center, said the world's sympathy for China's latest crisis may help offset the negative publicity that has beset Beijing following deadly riots in Tibet earlier this year and scandals over tainted food, drugs and toys last year.

"After China was criticized for handling the Tibet crisis, the government hopes the response to the earthquake will leave the rest of the world a positive impression of the Chinese government -- that it is truly for its people," Gu said.

When the disaster struck, Beijing's leaders were quick to signal a message of concern and action, as President Hu Jintao called for an "all-out" effort to aid survivors.

Premier Wen Jiabao flew to Sichuan province to oversee relief efforts. Rescue workers mounted a huge search effort with cranes and manpower to look for survivors under blocks of concrete and steel.

More than 50 people were pulled out alive, but the vast majority recovered were dead. Even the air force was called in, with a plan to parachute troops to isolated disaster areas. It was later canceled because of heavy rain.

State media, often hesitant to report negative news, has been especially aggressive in covering the quake's aftermath, running pictures of bloody victims and grieving relatives. China Central Television provided virtually 24-hour coverage, dispatching reporters across a wide swath of the affected region.

Disasters always pose a test for the communist government, whose mandate rests heavily on maintaining order, delivering economic growth, and providing relief in emergencies.

If China's leaders are able to successfully show that they can overcome this latest crisis, it will allow them bragging rights with the Olympics around the corner, said Adam Segal, a China expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"They will use this as a kind of symbol, a demonstration that they can mobilize and respond to tragedies and show a government that is competent and in control," he said. Gu said Beijing's initial response to the quake was surprisingly quick.

"What strikes me the most is that the response is really, really fast," he said. "Responding to this disaster is particularly difficult, because it happened in a mountainous area with high population density."

Gu said he believes China's centralized government proved an advantage in such times because it can quickly summon manpower and resources.

"It's a sad thing, but fortunately it did not happen during the games," he said.

"Should any natural disaster strike during the games, we would know how to cope."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.