China reports U.S. donating $23 million so far

Over at TIME's China Blog, some netizens are reacting to initial reports about the U.S. government's donation being "paltry." China has just reported that the U.S. has a combined donation of $23 million (from American Red Cross, the government, and corporations), thus far to earthquake in Sichuan.

It is human nature to be critical. Few netizens have pointed out that the Chinese government gave $5million, 600 tents, and other supplies for the Katrina disaster. U.S. government's $500,000 in comparison seem paltry.

We think people should not feel entitlement. The goodwill gesture is there and should be recognized. Everybody also knows that private American citizens and corporations will contribute. Furthermore, the U.S. government is in tremendous debt.

We feel the Chinese government and the Chinese media are correct in being gracious and thankful to the U.S..