May 15, 2008 -- We don't normally cover politically sensitive topics -- like natural disasters or other crises -- in this publication.
But this week's earthquake in Sichuan province not only has a major impact on business activity in the area, but is a stunning example of how much progress China has made when it comes to openness and accountability.
The problems brought to light by the earthquake -- construction standards, reaction times, logistical and other issues -- are being discussed publicly both in international and domestic media.
The presence of international journalists on the ground, as well as a steady stream of reports from "citizen journalists" assure the public of the facts and scope of the tragedy.
As a result, the Chinese government is seeing true outpourings of support from all around the world -- not just from sympathizers, but from people and organizations on all sides of the political spectrum.
And it's not just empty words and official statements -- individuals, companies and organizations are putting their money where their hearts are. In today's global economy, cash is the true currency of international discourse.
If you want to find out how someone really feels, look at how they spend their money.
From the donations coming in, it's clear that China has been handling this disaster well.
Obviously, no nation is perfect. The Chinese government has made mistakes, and will make more mistakes. But overall, the openness with which the earthquake has been handled, the amount of information -- and images -- coming out of the area -- has been remarkable.
Technology certainly helps. Cell phones, blogs, online video sharing, and social "micro blogging" networks like Twitter have all done their part to get information to the public.
I myself learned about the quake from an instant message. I was in a conference all day Monday. The minute I was back at my computer, a client contacted me, looking for information about the quake -- an important film maker was just in Sichuan. What happened to him? I emailed my writer, and he contacted the director's agent by cell phone, and learned that the filming in Sichuan had already been concluded, and the entire crew was back in Beijing for post-production work.
Immediately afterwards, more requests for information started pouring in. By this time, I was caught up with the main news, through international and domestic media reports. In addition, I was getting emails from freelancers and Twitters from people on the scene. I quickly subscribed to blogs of foreigners based in Chengdu. Previously, I had ignored them because the writers mostly focused on their daily, personal experiences -- not of much interest to a business reporter. Now, though, these writers became first-hand observers of the tragedy. Blogs like Green Bamboo and Barking at the Sun quickly became required reading.
The online commentators aren't all talk, either. Many, if not most, of the blogs -- and Twitters -- I am following have been spotlighting opportunities to make donations to disaster relief charities, and chronicling their own donations.