China has had a huge incentive, and a big opportunity, to repair some of its damaged international prestige as it prepares to host the Olympics, which open Aug. 8 in Beijing. The Tibet crackdown, Beijing's support for Sudan in the Darfur crisis, protests surrounding the Olympic torch relay, the xenophobia whipped up in response to foreign criticism and human rights campaigns by overseas activists have damaged China's international reputation.
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China's old ways shaken by quake
Beijing is showing flexibility and openness, and citizens are taking initiative to help in the crisis.
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The destruction caused by natural disasters, for which the government bears limited responsibility, is far easier to address and respond to openly than political unrest, environmental devastation fueled by badly administered factories, corruption and other crises, situations in which Beijing tends to revert to its old ways.
A government rooted in authoritarianism and with the world's largest army may be in a better position to marshal relief resources and manpower than a decentralized democracy.
"The Chinese government won a lot of credibility from the way they responded to the earthquake," said Jing Jun, a sociologist at Tsinghua University.
"But whether this is a turning point to China becoming a democratic society, that is a long shot."
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barbara.demick@latimes.com
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mark.magnier@latimes.com
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Gao Wenhuan of The Times' Beijing Bureau contributed to this report.
