From Chinese Press

Lessons from Chile

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-19 07:56

The rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 69 days has raised Chile's stature in the world media's eyes. So, the accident in the copper mine has improved Chile's national image instead of harming it, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

The Chilean government has played the decisive role in changing the image of the country. Everything that the Chilean government did, from the frequent visits of the Chilean president to the mine where the 33 miners were trapped to the working out of several rescue plans, was seen by the world media as a positive move. Every action of the Chilean government sent a message to the world that people's life is what it cares most about and that it would leave no stone unturned to save the trapped miners.

China sent out the same message to the world after the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. Military personnel, government officials and Communist Party of China's (CPC) cadres joined hands with the common people to save many lives and provide relief to tens of thousands of the quake survivors against all odds. Even The Daily Telegraph of Britain said the world was increasingly accepting the CPC for its success.

Such crises have the potential of making or breaking a country's image before the world. The image of a country depends on the way its government reacts to a disaster and the sincerity with which it carries out rescue and relief operations.

Therefore, a country's government should pay attention to every detail of rescue and relief operations after major disasters, and make every effort to make it a success.

(China Daily 10/19/2010 page9)