China seeks earthquake aid from Japan
Pastor Dale Morgan
China seeks earthquake aid from Japan
*
* Story Highlights
* NEW: Japanese military expected to send emergency relief aircraft
to China
* Relations between the former enemies have thawed in the past two years
* Authorities evacuate 158,000 people downstream from unstable quake
lake
* NEW: Official death toll from the original quake rose to 68,516 on
Thursday
(CNN) -- China is turning to its former enemy Japan for help as it seeks
to boost its relief operations following the deadly earthquake that has
devastated the southwestern Sichuan province.
A Japanese Air Self Defense Force transport plane at Komaki Air Base on
Thursday.
China has begun talks with Tokyo about what would be the first
significant military dispatch involving the two countries since World
War II, The Associated Press reported Thursday.
"Given the magnitude of this disaster, if some countries or militaries
are ready to provide us with material in urgent need, we will express
our welcome," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang, AP reported.
The Kyodo news agency said Japan plans to dispatch Self-Defense Forces
aircraft to transport tents and other relief supplies to main airports,
but the troops will not be allowed to go into the affected areas.
The Beijing regime has welcomed aid from the international community as
it seeks to help the 158,000 people evacuated from nearly 170 areas.
The official death toll from the quake climbed to 68,516 on Thursday,
another 365,399 people were injured and 19,350 missing. About 5 million
are thought to be homeless, the government says.
However, its relations with Japan have been cold since the invasion by
its neighbor in the 1930s -- which caused a residual resentment among
the Chinese population, especially as chemical weapons were abandoned
there by Japanese troops, AP said.
China has criticized Japan for atoning for its war-time activities, but
relations have thawed in the past two years and leaders from each nation
have since made symbolic visits to meet their peers.
One of China's main concerns following the May 12 earthquake is to deal
with the effects of its after-shocks, with landslides having created
dangerous "quake lakes." Video Watch footage of the landslides »
Thousands of people evacuated after the initial 7.9-magnitude quake face
the prospect of having to be moved on again due to fears of massive
flooding if the the lakes burst, CNN's Kyung Lah reported Thursday.
"They have had to move not once, but twice -- and this could just be the
tip of the iceberg, the government says. Up to 1.3 million people could
be affected by the quake lakes," Lah said. Video Watch report from tent
city in Mianyang »
Efforts to drain the quake-created dam in Beichuan county were hampered
by pouring rain on Thursday, AP reported.
However, workers continued to dig a long spillway designed to relieve
the water pressure building as the Jianjiang River fills in behind the
massive pile of rock and soil.
"The government says if they are able to alleviate the pressure then
they will be able to save these towns from flooding over," Lah said.
"These residents are waiting without electricity and they are exhausted.
They say they are hoping for some good news."
The lake is holding 130 million cubic meters (170 million cubic yards)
of water -- equal to about 50,000 Olympic-size swimming pools, according
to Liu Ning, chief engineer of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Creating a spillway to relieve the pressure is expected to take 10 days,
state media reported, allowing enough time if the lake continues to rise
at its average of about 2 meters (6 feet) per day.