HONG KONG: While the navies of the United States and its allies rushed to the aid of the typhoon-hit Philippines, a state-of-the-art Chinese hospital ship has stayed at home and in doing so has become a symbol of China’s tepid response to the crisis.
The decision not to deploy the 14,000-tonne ‘Peace Ark’, one of the newest and biggest hospital ships in the world, is one that contrasts with a recent charm offensive across Southeast Asia by China as it seeks to bolster ties and ease tension over the disputed South China Sea. Even China’s usually hawkish Global Times, a tabloid owned by the People’s Daily state mouthpiece, on Friday called for the Ark to sail to the Philippines, where an international naval flotilla, headed by a US aircraft carrier strike group, is delivering food, water and medicine.
Initially, China pledged 100,000 dollars in aid to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan roared across central islands a week ago, and a further 100,000 dollars through the Chinese Red Cross – figures dwarfed by multi-million dollar donations from countries and corporations around the world.
While tension between China and the Philippines has escalated recently over Manila’s bid for a UN court ruling against Beijing’s claim to much of the South China Sea, analysts and diplomats say its paltry response to the humanitarian crisis could undermine diplomatic gains. The Chinese government has not ruled out more aid but foreign analysts are puzzled by the absence of the Peace Ark, a ship tailor-made for such emergencies.
‘It is a self-inflicted wound to Chinese influence and prestige,’ said Rory Medcalf, a security analyst at Australia’s Lowy Institute.
China’s Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment about whether the ship would be sent to the Philippines.
Just last month, the Peace Ark returned to its Shanghai berth after an unprecedented four-month, eight-country deployment that saw it work with other navies and treat thousands of patients during goodwill stops.(PTI)
