Quotable

It is absolutely a malicious rumor. The Red Cross Society of China never charged any fee during its work related to blood donation."

A spokesman from the Red Cross Society of China, in response to an online posting alleging that the organization raked in 3.9 billion yuan ($640 million) in 2010 by selling blood to hospitals nationwide. The society seeks only to promote volunteer blood donations, with blood collection done by local hospitals and medical institutions, the spokesman said; it never charged any fee for its work. The society has been plagued by rumors ever since a woman claiming to be a worker from the society flaunted her wealth online in 2011 and sparked a wave of public distrust of the organization. The woman later admitted that she had lied.