US Red Cross' quake aid helpful

WASHINGTON: A delegation from China's Red Cross Society displayed photographs of new buildings emerging from the rubble and smiles replacing tears as they showed their American counterparts and the business community how their aid has helped victims of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province.

"The Chinese people have never felt so close to each other and to the world community," Jiang Yiman, the executive vice-president of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), told a meeting with the American Red Cross and officials of Business Roundtable on Monday.

The American Red Cross pledged $50 million in emergency relief following the earthquake that hit Sichuan, which left nearly 87,000 dead or missing, 370,000 injured and some 15 million houses damaged.