Sichuan quake fund still $180b short

CHENGDU: Sichuan has only a fraction of the money it needs to pay for its massive reconstruction program, Vice-Governor Huang Xiaoxiang said yesterday.

While the total amount needed for the project has been estimated at 1.67 trillion yuan ($244 billion), the province has only about a quarter of that, he said at a promotional fair in Xiamen.

The relief fund includes contributions from the central and provincial governments, and various donations from home and abroad, he said.