Earthquake Relief: Humanitarian or Political?

It's full-steam ahead for China's relief efforts, and hundreds of thousands throughout the country are aiding with the rescue efforts.  For the first time ever, China has invited foreign countries to help with its rescue efforts, and teams from Russia, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan will be sending planes and aiding in the relief

They're not the only countries to be involved.  One hundred fifty one nations and forty regional areas have offered over $100 million USD, as donations continue to pour in.  Wang Baodong, Press Counselor to the Chinese Embassy, says China is extremely grateful for this support.

While the U.S. government's donation of about $500,000 USD pales in comparison to Saudi Arabia's $50 million, many U.S. corporations and relief organizations have also been contributing money and providing assistance.  The China Rises Blog has a thorough synposis of donations from U.S. multinational corporations. 

Wang says that comparing the donations of one country to another isn't the most constructive process, since from the Chinese government's vantage point, saving lives is the number one priority, and all subsequent decisions stem from that perspective.

According to China's President Hu Jintao, this earthquake has been the most powerful since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.  The 1976 Tangshan Earthquake, which resulted in about 240,000 deaths, lacked the sheer force of the quake in Sichuan Province.

Although this earthquake and disaster have been of such a tremendous magnitude, with previous reports of strained relations between China and several other countries, political factors come into play.  Furthermore, with the Olympics approaching, China might have additional motivation to welcome help from the international community.

Wang Baodong dismisses this line of thinking.  He doesn't "see any links, direct links between the alleviation effort in China and the Beijing Olympic Games. For the Chinese government, the first priority is to save more lives."

This definitely seems to be the case, and I highly doubt the Olympics have much to do with the fast response of the relief effort, and support of the international community.  For many people throughout the country, the Olympics seem far more trivial than the real consequences of potentially 50,000 deaths.  I'm sure the hype has played a role in the media coverage of the situation, but I don't think it has necessarily catalyzed the speedy reaction.

On the other hand, while the government insists that this is a humanitarian, not a political crisis, is it even possible to have humanitarian work without also evaluating its political implications? 

Even the decisions whose consequences are primarily humanitarian, are not without political consequences.  Issues like, which dams to repair first, how much emphasis to place on potential nuclear plants in the region, which people to rescue first, or which humanitarian groups can offer assistance, span both the humanitarian and political arenas.

In a country like China, where the registration process to be an officially recognized charity is quite rigorous and is highly monitored by the government, the political implications of charity in China might seem even more pronounced. 

During this time of crisis, it seems like political issues might be taking a backseat to the humanitarian cries.  This might be true, but even though politics might be taking a backseat, it's still very much in the car.