[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 20, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H4209-H4213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES AND SYMPATHY TO THE PEOPLE OF SICHUAN PROVINCE, 
                                 CHINA

  Mr. WU. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 1195) expressing condolences and sympathy to the 
people of the People's Republic of China for the grave loss of life and 
vast destruction caused by the earthquake of May 12, 2008 in Sichuan 
Province, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1195

       Whereas on Monday, May 12, 2008, at 2:28 p.m. local time, a 
     massive earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck 
     a mountainous region of Sichuan Province in southwest China;
       Whereas the epicenter of the earthquake was Wenchuan 
     County, 60 miles northwest of the provincial capital of 
     Chengdu;
       Whereas the earthquake destroyed 80 percent of structures 
     in some of the towns and small cities near the epicenter;
       Whereas the death toll is currently estimated to exceed 
     22,000 and is expected to rise as the scope of the damage 
     becomes clearer;
       Whereas tens of thousands of people across southwest China 
     remain buried beneath rubble, and hundreds of thousands of 
     people are injured or homeless;
       Whereas an estimated 900 eighth and ninth grade students 
     and their teachers remain trapped, with as many as hundreds 
     dead, after a school collapsed in Dujiangyan, a county 
     located southeast of the epicenter;
       Whereas another school with up to 1,000 students and 
     teachers inside collapsed in the city of Mianyang;
       Whereas two chemical plants have collapsed in Shifang, 
     northeast of the epicenter, spilling 80 tons of toxic 
     ammonia;
       Whereas more than 150 people have been killed in the 
     provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi, and in Chongqing 
     municipality;
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has mobilized 50,000 
     police and civilian rescue workers, who have been working 
     tirelessly in disaster areas to aid in rescue and recovery 
     efforts;
       Whereas the tremors of the powerful earthquake were felt as 
     far south as Vietnam and Thailand and set off another, 
     smaller earthquake near the outskirts of Beijing, 900 miles 
     away;
       Whereas the earthquake is China's largest natural disaster 
     since a previous earthquake struck the city of Tangshan in 
     eastern China in 1976; and
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has said that it is 
     spending $120 million on rescue efforts and that it would 
     accept international aid to cope with the disaster: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) extends its condolences and sympathy to the people of 
     the People's Republic of China for the grave loss of life and 
     vast destruction caused by the massive earthquake centered in 
     Sichuan Province;
       (2) vows its full support for the people of the People's 
     Republic of China as well as the members of the Chinese 
     American community in the United States who have relatives in 
     the affected areas of China; and
       (3) expresses confidence that the people of the People's 
     Republic of China will come together to help those in need 
     and succeed in overcoming the hardships incurred because of 
     this tragedy.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Wu) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WU. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 
legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oregon?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WU. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution 
and yield myself such time as I may consume.
  For the past week, the world has been shocked and saddened by the 
aftermath of the horrendous earthquake that struck the Chinese Sichuan 
Province last Monday, May 12. Chinese news reports now confirm that the 
7.9 Richter scale magnitude earthquake has claimed the lives of over 
40,000 people.

                              {time}  1545

  The number of fatalities climbs higher each day as the full scale of 
the devastation unfolds. Chinese authorities estimate that, despite 
strenuous rescue efforts, in the end as many as 50,000 people could 
have perished from the earthquake and its aftermath.
  Particularly heartbreaking are the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of 
children who were killed as their schools collapsed on them. These 
young lives were cut far, far too short, and it is so tragic that had 
the earthquake occurred just 2 or 3 hours later, or had the schools 
that the children were in

[[Page H4210]]

met applicable building codes, these young lives would have been 
spared.
  We are all deeply moved by the images of parents overwhelmed by grief 
at the side of the limp, lifeless body of their child. As we speak, 
hundreds of parents are sifting through the wreckage with desperate 
hope that their child may still be alive under all that schoolhouse 
rubble.
  Rescue workers continue to work tirelessly, day and night. Stories of 
heroism and miraculous survival are interwoven with tales of loss and 
devastation.
  Doctors and nurses tend to injured victims around the clock, as 
hospitals handle many times their normal number of trauma injuries.
  This earthquake is the most devastating natural disaster to strike 
China since 1976, and sadly, as major aftershocks continue to hit the 
area, the turmoil continues.
  Just yesterday, Chinese media reported that more than 200 rescue 
workers were buried and killed by mudslides while they were repairing 
roads in Sichuan Province.
  While the 1.3 billion people across China unite in grief for 3 days 
of mourning, it is fitting that this body expresses our deepest 
sympathies for the people of China. With this resolution, we offer our 
condolences to the people of China as they cope with this awful 
tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.
  House Resolution 1195 also vows the full support of the House of 
Representatives to the people of China and expresses our confidence 
that they will succeed in coming together to help those in need and 
overcome this terrible disaster.
  Finally, the House also extends its condolences and support to 
members of the Chinese American community here in the United States who 
have relatives and friends in the affected areas of China.
  I urge strong support of this resolution, and I encourage my 
colleagues to join me in doing the same.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MANZULLO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Today, we rise to offer our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to 
the people of China for the horrific loss they suffered as a result of 
the gigantic earthquake that struck Sichuan Province in southwestern 
China on May 12 of this year. The 7.9 earthquake struck without warning 
during the busiest time of the day when schools and office buildings 
were full of people. And as Congressman Wu states, the toll of the dead 
has not yet been completed, except we know it remains in the tens of 
thousands, including those that remain missing. At least 10 to 12 
million people remain displaced, and we all saw with horror on 
television the school that had collapsed on over 900 children on that 
one particular site.
  I want to thank Mr. Wu for sponsoring this resolution so that the 
House of Representatives can stand with the people of China in their 
hour of need. I also want to commend the American people for showing 
their generosity in pledging humanitarian support for the victims. In 
America, the sense of loss is perhaps felt strongest in the Chinese 
American communities where loved ones pray and hope for positive news 
from across the Pacific.
  Madam Speaker, I chaired the U.S.-China Interparliamentary Exchange 
for 7 years, and I'm now the vice-chair. I had the opportunity to 
travel extensively in China, including the Chengdu area in 2005, as 
part of our official business. To see the utter destruction on 
television comes as a complete shock. I echo the words of the President 
in saying that we admire the spirit and the character of the Chinese 
people as they desperately strive to put their lives back together.
  I also want to commend the Chinese Government for not being 
embarrassed or too proud to seek out and receive help from American 
resources. I only wish that the Government of Burma were as open under 
these particular and similar circumstances.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WU. At this time, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlelady from California, Barbara Lee, of the Ninth District of 
California.
  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, first let me thank and applaud Congressman Wu 
for his leadership in offering this very important resolution today.
  It is with great sadness that all of us have watched the news reports 
of thousands of people who have been displaced or who have died as a 
result of the earthquake in China last week. I have talked with 
constituents in my district who have family and friends affected by 
this tragedy.
  I was particularly pained by the children who were trapped in the 
collapsed schools and buildings. It is my hope and my prayer, like 
those of this entire body, that more survivors will be found and that 
more families will be reunited.
  I want to extend my condolences to the Chinese people and especially 
to those families who have lost their loved ones.
  The people of my district, the Ninth Congressional District of 
California, are rallying together in solidarity to provide humanitarian 
relief in response to the quake.
  Donations to humanitarian relief agencies are already flowing in, and 
our local Chinatown Chamber of Commerce is working with the local Red 
Cross to place donation canisters at local restaurants and businesses 
to help raise additional funds. I know that 14 of the canisters have 
already been placed.
  The people of my district and myself will do everything we can to 
help with the relief and recovery efforts during this tragic time. This 
is a natural disaster of enormous proportions that requires an 
unprecedented response. As a country, we must extend our hand of 
friendship and our heart of compassion.
  My heart and my prayers go out to the people of China, but I know 
that with the world unified in assisting with these efforts that the 
people will receive some form of relief very quickly.
  I thank Congressman Wu for your leadership and for your compassion 
and for giving us the opportunity to talk about this very important, 
tragic natural disaster that has turned really into a human disaster.
  Mr. MANZULLO. I recognize Mr. Smith of New Jersey, ranking member of 
the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, for as much time as he 
may consume.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my good friend for yielding, Madam 
Speaker, and I especially want to thank Mr. Wu, the gentleman from 
Oregon, for offering this very important resolution, and I'm very proud 
to be one of the cosponsors.
  Madam Speaker, when a friend is struck by a tragedy, perhaps the 
death of a family member, we all know what to do. We call them up, we 
visit with them, we reach out to them. And that's what they need at 
that moment, to know that they are not alone, that they are accompanied 
by friends.
  I think that is with nations as well. When tragedy strikes a nation, 
other nations have to reach out and remind them that they are part of a 
great human family and that other nations grieve with them. So it is 
right that our country should make this gesture after the tragedy that 
struck the great Chinese people.
  Madam Speaker, lest anyone doubt the importance of this gesture, let 
me remind them of the outpouring of support that came from every corner 
of the globe after the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001. That 
meant so much to us.
  Madam Speaker, many of us in this House number Chinese human rights 
activists among our friends, and among the list of people we admire 
most are people like Harry Wu, Joseph Kung, Wei Jingsheng, Bob Fu, and 
so many others come to mind. Over the past 10 days, I have been 
reminded of them as I have seen their mixture of practical earnestness 
and great generosity in the Chinese people's response to this tragedy, 
the outpouring of help from everywhere throughout China. The Chinese 
people continually amaze me for their willingness to stand by the 
unfortunate and the oppressed, and that sentiment is very strong among 
the people.
  So, Madam Speaker, let us ask God to comfort all of those who have 
lost family members and friends in this terrible earthquake. I hope we 
can remember particularly the parents. Several days ago, I read an 
article in the Los Angeles Times, which I will enter into the Record, 
which reminds us, as

[[Page H4211]]

the headline says, ``One-Child Policy Adds to the Grief of China 
Quake.'' This is in the L.A. Times.
  In Chinese culture, parents shower an extraordinary love on their 
children, investing their time and hope in them. The Chinese Government 
has cruelly and forcibly prevented most mothers and fathers from having 
more than one child, making brothers and sisters literally illegal. Now 
these parents have lost that one child. So we need to keep them in our 
prayers as well.

                China's 1-Child Policy Causes Extra Pain

                        (By Christopher Bodeen)

       After their daughter was born, Bi Kaiwei and his wife, 
     Meilin, decided to adhere to China's one-child policy and its 
     slogan, ``Have fewer kids, live better lives.''
       For them and other couples who lost an only child in this 
     week's massive earthquake, the tragedy has been doubly cruel. 
     Robbed of their sole progeny and a hope for the future, they 
     find it even harder to restart their shattered lives, haunted 
     by added guilt, regret and gnawing loss.
       ``She died before becoming even a young adult,'' said Bi, 
     an intense, wiry chemical plant worker, standing beside the 
     grave of 13-year-old Yuexing--one of dozens sprinkled amid 
     fields of ripened spring wheat and newly planted rice. ``She 
     never really knew what life was like.''
       Yuexing, a bright sixth-grader, was in school when Monday's 
     quake struck, bringing the Fuxin No. 2 Primary School 
     crashing down, killing her and 200 other students. Teachers 
     had locked all but one of the school's doors during break 
     time, parents said, leaving only a single door to escape 
     through.
       Many among the more than 22,000 people killed across 
     central China were students in school. Nearly 6,900 
     classrooms collapsed, government officials said Friday, in an 
     admission that highlighted a chronically underfunded 
     education system especially in small towns and compounded the 
     anger of many Chinese over the quake.
       In Wufu, a farming village two hours north of the Sichuan 
     provincial capital of Chengdu, most of the dead students were 
     a couple's only child--born under a policy launched in the 
     late 1970s to limit many families to one offspring. The 
     policy was meant to rein in China's exploding population and 
     ensure better education and health care.
       The ``one-child policy'' has been contentious inside China 
     as well as out. The government says it has prevented an 
     additional 400 million births. But critics say it has also 
     led to forced abortions, sterilizations and a dangerously 
     imbalanced sex ratio as local authorities pursue sometimes 
     severe birth quotas set by Beijing and families abort girls 
     out of a traditional preference for male heirs. The policy is 
     law but there are exceptions.
       Farther down the lane from where Yuexing is buried, 10 more 
     graves were laid out, some accompanied by favorite items--
     textbooks for English and music, a pencil box, a Chinese 
     chess set. At one, grandmother threw herself to the dirt and 
     wailed as her husband lit a handful of ``spirit paper'' 
     believed to comfort the dead in the afterlife.
       Another bereaved parent, Sang Jun, stood where his 
     daughter, Rui, is buried, a simple mound of dirt beside his 
     quake-shattered farmhouse. The house is surrounded by burned 
     bushes--a traditional disinfectant. ``The house is gone and 
     the child is dead,'' said Sang, who wore a T-shirt and 
     plastic sandals. His parents, both in their 70s, looked on 
     with tears in their eyes.
       Resistance by ordinary Chinese has forced Beijing to relax 
     the policies, allowing many rural families to have a second 
     child if the first was a girl. But in Wufu, the family 
     planning committee seems to have prevailed on most families 
     to stop at one child. Slogans daubed on boundary walls and 
     houses all along the rutted country road leading to Wufu call 
     on families to ``stabilize family planning and create a 
     brighter future.''
       Standing in the rubble of the school holding his daughter's 
     ID and a posed shot taken at a local salon, Bi--pronounced 
     ``Bee''--said starting a new family, either by having another 
     child or adoption, is simply imponderable.
       ``I'm 37 years old and my child was 13. If we were to do it 
     again, I'd be 50 when this stage comes along,'' Bi said.
       Parents who lose children in disasters often feel intense 
     guilt for what they see as a failure to protect them, said 
     psychology professor Shi Zhanbiao. Parents, he said, may also 
     recall their past relationships with their children with 
     regret, thinking they were too stern, did not show them 
     sufficient love or did not interact with them enough.
       ``They'll think that if they just hadn't sent their 
     children to school that day, they would have been saved,'' 
     said Shi, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Science in 
     Beijing.
       The loss is intensified for those with no other offspring 
     to lavish with care and affection, Shi said. And in China, 
     other, more practical concerns may also come into play 
     because children are generally expected to care for their 
     aging parents.
       ``They'll be worried about the future, because for the 
     later part of their lives, they'll have no one to depend 
     on,'' Shi said.
       Bi said Yuexing was polite and smart. She had won a coveted 
     place at the county's best high school on the recommendation 
     of a teacher. She was a top student who got better after the 
     family moved closer to school to reduce her commuting time, 
     said Bi, who completed high school but failed the national 
     university entrance exam.
       In her pictures, Yuexing, whose name combined the Chinese 
     characters for moon and star, is smiling and demure. The 
     studio shot shows her wearing a bright yellow sweater and 
     looking playfully over her shoulder.
       Parents in Wufu said they plan to bring a formal complaint 
     over what they say was corruption and malfeasance in 
     construction of the school. They say officials moved the 
     students from a group of one-story classrooms--all of which 
     survived the quake--into a modern-looking, but unsafe 
     building.
       ``We have nothing else, no other wish but to win justice 
     for our children,'' said Sang's wife, Zhao Jing. ``We put all 
     our hopes on these kids, and this is the return we get.''
                                  ____


               [From the Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2008]

           One-Child Policy Adds to the Grief of China Quake

                          (By Ching-Ching Ni)

       Xingfu, China.--On Sunday, Liu Li received a simple 
     Mother's Day present from her only child: a basket of red, 
     pink and white carnations wrapped in purple rice paper. That 
     afternoon, her 15-year-old boy returned to boarding school 
     knowing he had made his mother the happiest woman in their 
     village.
       Liu and her husband never thought about defying China's 
     one-child policy. They already had everything they could hope 
     for in a son. Meng Hao was not only a good student and star 
     athlete, he was even the tallest kid around.
       On Wednesday, the Mother's Day flowers were still fresh in 
     the family's living room, next to rows of certificates of 
     merit from Hao's school years. But Liu's beloved boy was 
     dead.
       ``When I heard he was gone, my whole body went numb,'' she 
     said. ``I felt the sky falling.''
       As the death toll rises from the worst earthquake to hit 
     China in 30 years, Sichuan province has become a valley of 
     sadness. Schools were among the most badly damaged buildings, 
     and some of the most grief-stricken residents are parents who 
     lost an only child.
       Liu, 38, slumped Wednesday in a chair in a makeshift tent 
     among the wheat fields here. Not only are parents mourning 
     the loss of a cherished child; the next generation is 
     expected to look after their parents in old age in a society 
     where the safety net is disappearing. And many in Chinese 
     society regard people in their late 30s and early 40s as too 
     old to have another child.
       In Sichuan, one of China's most populous provinces, the 
     government's one-child policy is strictly enforced among poor 
     farmers.
       ``I'd say 90% of the people around here have only one 
     child,'' said Wang Xia, hugging her 5-year-old daughter close 
     after finding the girl with big, round eyes and two long 
     braids alive at her kindergarten. ``It takes a lot of money 
     to raise children--we farmers have a hard time even 
     supporting ourselves; how can we afford to pay fines to have 
     more?''
       The name of this town, Xingfu, means Happiness. But it has 
     become a hell for parents who at first thought they had 
     escaped the tragedy. When disaster struck Monday, Hao's 
     parents raced to the nearby school and helped dig through the 
     rubble.
       First there was good news.
       After being trapped under broken concrete for eight hours, 
     Hao was rescued.
       ``He kept saying, `I am OK, I want to go home,' '' said his 
     father, Meng Daoling, 44.
       ``When he was buried under all that debris, he told me he 
     kept thinking of his parents. He held on for eight hours so 
     he could see us again,'' said his mother, tears streaming 
     down her face.
       To their shock, a few hours after that brief reunion, their 
     son died about an hour away at a hospital in Chengdu, where 
     he had been rushed for treatment.
       Like so many people here, Hao's parents had done everything 
     they could to give him a good education. His father drives a 
     tractor.
       In addition to toiling in the family field, his mother 
     works long hours at a factory making bottle caps.
       Boarding school costs a bit more than regular school, but 
     for many rural children, schools are too far for daily 
     travel, so they live there.
       ``Everybody knew him,'' a villager said of Hao. ``He was 
     nearly 6 feet tall. He wanted to go to college and be a 
     pilot.''
       One of Hao's schoolmates who escaped the falling building 
     said he survived because his teacher told the students to run 
     from the first-floor classroom when the magnitude 7.9 quake 
     rocked the country.
       ``There were 66 students in our class. All but seven or 
     eight made it out alive,'' said Ba Cong, 14.
       He thinks he probably survived because he was in the second 
     row. ``I sat in the front because I am nearsighted. The 
     people who didn't make it sat in the back.''
       Hao was in a third-floor classroom. Most of the students 
     there were trapped.
       ``He told me his teacher told them, `Don't run, duck,' '' 
     his mother said.
       Parents say the school was built in the early 1990s--old by 
     Chinese standards--and that students were to move into a new 
     building next year.
       Bitter villagers suspect shoddy construction is partly to 
     blame for the catastrophe.
       ``Even our humble rural homes built by hand didn't collapse 
     completely,'' said villager Gong Fuzhong. ``How can a big 
     school

[[Page H4212]]

     building collapse? Something is definitely wrong here.''
       Across an open field filled with makeshift shelters, 
     another mother, Zheng Hongqun, 40, was so paralyzed by grief 
     that she hadn't been able to get out of bed.
       The body of her 15-year-old son, Wen Zheng, was pulled from 
     the rubble about 24 hours after the earthquake.
       ``His father is a migrant worker far away in northeastern 
     China so his son can have money to go to school,'' said 
     neighbor Wang Xia. ``We only told him he is still being 
     rescued. We don't dare tell him the truth.''
       Outside their temporary shelter, a plastic tarp wrapped 
     over sticks, Zheng's grandparents were surrounded by 
     neighbors trying to distract them from the tragedy. It wasn't 
     working.
       ``The child is gone. We can never see him again,'' Wen's 
     silver-haired grandmother sobbed. ``It should have been us.''
                                  ____


         Parents' Losses Compounded By China's One-Child Policy

       Sichuan, China.--Li Yunxia wipes away tears as rescue crews 
     dig through the ruins of a kindergarten class that has buried 
     her only child--a 5-year-old boy.
       Other parents wail as soldiers in blue masks trudge through 
     the mud, hauling bodies from the rubble on stretchers.
       ``Children were screaming, but I couldn't hear my son's 
     voice,'' she says, sobbing.
       This grim ritual repeated itself Thursday across 
     southwestern China, as thousands of mothers and fathers await 
     news about their sons and daughters.
       The death toll from Monday's massive earthquake could be as 
     high as 50,000, according to state-run media.
       The grief is compounded in many cases by a Chinese policy 
     that limits most couples to one child, a measure meant to 
     control explosive population growth.
       As a result of the one-child policy, the quake--already 
     responsible for at least 15,000 deaths--is producing another 
     tragic aftershock:
       Not only must thousands of parents suddenly cope with the 
     loss of a child but many must cope with the loss of their 
     only child.
       China's population minister recently praised the one-child 
     rule, which dates to 1979, saying it has prevented 400 
     million children from being born.
       Some wealthy families ignore the order, have more children 
     and pay a $1,000 fine. In rural areas--like earthquake-
     devastated Sichuan province--families can petition for an 
     additional child, but there's no guarantee the authorities 
     will approve the request--they usually don't.
       That reality has cast parents like Li into an agonizing 
     limbo--waiting to discover whether their only child is alive 
     or dead.
       Thousands of children were in class when the temblor hit 
     Monday afternoon. Many of their schools collapsed on top of 
     them.
       In Dujiangyan City, more than 300 students were feared dead 
     when Juyuan Middle School collapsed with 900 students inside. 
     A similar number died at the city's Xiang'e Middle School.
       Now parents cluster outside collapsed school buildings, 
     held back by soldiers in some cases as rescue crews search 
     for signs of life.
       ``Which grade are you in?'' a rescuer asks a trapped child 
     in Beichuan County.
       ``Grade 2,'' comes the answer.
       ``Hang on for a while,'' he says. ``We are figuring out 
     ways to rescue you.''
       The child is pulled from the rubble a short time later.

  Madam Speaker, again I want to thank Mr. Wu for sponsoring this 
resolution. We need to express our solidarity with those who have lost 
so much. This resolution does it very, very well.
  Mr. WU. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his leadership and 
always caring about the people of China.
  I include the following news article from the Portland, Oregonian:

                   [From the Oregonian, May 20, 2008]

Boeing May Be the Ticket for Relief Supplies; China Quake--New Jets Are 
Scheduled for Delivery, and Oregon Agencies Hope Their Aid Can Hitch a 
                                  Ride

                           (By Richard Read)

       Oregon aid agencies aim to piggyback on Boeing's booming 
     sales to China, loading earthquake-relief supplies in new 
     jets being delivered to Chinese airlines.
       Managers of Medical Team International are negotiating to 
     send $470,000 worth of supplies that Mercy Corps would help 
     distribute to earthquake victims in China. A Boeing 
     spokesperson says the aircraft manufacturer has entered 
     similar deals in the past, but rarely in urgent response to 
     humanitarian disasters.
       Boeing and the relief workers are reviewing 15 aircraft 
     that have been ordered by Chinese airlines, said Barbara 
     Agnew, spokeswoman for Tigard-based Medical Teams 
     International. The jets are scheduled for delivery to six 
     Chinese cities, she said.
       ``None of these destinations are actually hubs that are 
     near the disaster site,'' Agnew said. ``So they're going back 
     to specific airlines and saying, `Would you be able to take 
     this cargo to a closer hub?' ''
       The Boeing deal is one of several the humanitarian 
     organizations are feverishly negotiating as disaster 
     estimates grow in both China and cyclone-hit Myanmar. The aid 
     agencies are forming partnerships to overcome government 
     restrictions and other obstacles in the two countries.
       Mercy Corps plans to load items ranging from school kits to 
     rubber gloves in Portland for delivery in Seattle to DHL 
     International. The global delivery company plans to fly the 
     supplies for free to Bangkok, Thailand, for distribution in 
     Myanmar and perhaps China, also providing warehouse space.
       DHL is also working with Mercy Corps on a charter flight to 
     carry pharmaceuticals from the United States to China. 
     ``Something like this would be impossible for us to do on our 
     own,'' said Susan Laarman, a Mercy Corps spokeswoman, saying 
     the charter otherwise could cost as much as $1 million.
       In Myanmar, where the government has kept foreign relief 
     workers out of hard-hit areas, Portland-based Mercy Corps 
     expects to team with Merlin, a British organization already 
     working inside the reclusive country. As with the Indian 
     Ocean tsunami in 2004, Mercy Corps will most likely launch 
     cash-for-work programs, paying local people to repair roads, 
     clear debris and rebuild houses.
       Already Mercy Corps has helped Merlin secure boats to carry 
     emergency medical kits to Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta, which 
     took the brunt of the May 2 cyclone. Four Mercy Corps aid 
     workers have managed to get into Myanmar--also known as 
     Burma--but not beyond the capital, Yangon or Rangoon.
       Michael Bowers, Mercy Corps Northeast Asia regional program 
     director, departed Portland on Monday for Chengdu, China. 
     There, too, the agency plans to team with local 
     organizations.
       ``We think we'll focus particularly on youth and vulnerable 
     women who may have been affected by the earthquake,'' said 
     Bowers, adding that Chinese officials were easing access. 
     ``The authorities in this disaster took a pause before they 
     went down the road of Burma.''
       Medical Teams International has no relief workers in either 
     country yet, but a doctor on its staff plans to depart 
     Wednesday for Myanmar. The first choice of the organization, 
     formerly called Northwest Medical Teams, would be to send one 
     of its volunteer medical-worker teams to Myanmar.
       ``The numbers are just speaking so loudly in Myanmar,'' 
     Agnew said.
       Myanmar is hardly a big aircraft buyer, but China is a 
     giant Boeing customer, which could work in the aid agencies' 
     favor. Boeing forecasts that China will require 3,400 new 
     airplanes worth about $340 billion over the next two decades.
       But arranging on short notice to pack antibiotics, bandages 
     and pain relievers into new airplanes is a complex project, 
     requiring sign-offs by numerous managers even within Boeing. 
     Chinese customs inspectors also must approve the unusual 
     shipments.
       A Boeing spokeswoman confirmed Monday that negotiations 
     were progressing on the program. ``It's something that we're 
     considering,'' she said.

  Just today, Richard Read of The Oregonian printed that, ``Oregon aid 
agencies aim to piggyback on Boeing's booming sales to China, loading 
earthquake-relief supplies in new jets being delivered to Chinese 
airlines.
  ``Managers of Medical Teams International are negotiating to send 
$470,000 worth of supplies that Mercy Corps would help distribute to 
earthquake victims in China.''
  Medical Teams International and Mercy Corps are domestic 
organizations, and they can be assisted directly by private parties.
  ``A Boeing spokesperson says the aircraft manufacturer has entered 
similar deals in the past, but rarely in urgent response to 
humanitarian disasters.
  ``Boeing and the relief workers are reviewing 15 aircraft that have 
been ordered by Chinese airlines,'' and Medical Teams International 
said that they're trying to get space. ``The jets are scheduled for 
delivery to six different Chinese cities.''
  None of these cities are actually hubs that are near the disaster 
site so they're going back to specific airlines and asking the Chinese 
airlines: Would you be able to take this cargo to a closer hub?
  The Boeing transaction is one of several that these humanitarian 
organizations have been feverishly negotiating as the disaster 
estimates grow in China.
  Michael Bowers, Mercy Corps Northeast Asia regional program director, 
departed from Portland, Oregon, for Chengdu in China.
  A Boeing spokesperson confirmed on Monday that negotiations were 
progressing on the program, and that, ``It's something that we're 
considering.''
  We commend to the Boeing Corporation that it seriously, deeply and 
quickly consider this, and we are grateful for their consideration.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H4213]]

  Mr. MANZULLO. I have no more speakers. Can I inquire of Mr. Wu if he 
has any more speakers?
  Mr. WU. I understand that we have a couple of additional speakers who 
are on the way to the floor, but they are not here at this time.
  Mr. MANZULLO. I'm ready to yield back the balance of my time, if the 
gentleman from Oregon is.
  Mr. WU. If the gentleman is prepared to close, then I would be 
prepared to close with the caveat, if additional speakers show up, that 
I be permitted to recognize them.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WU. I want to recognize the hard work put in by staff on both 
sides of the aisle, particularly Elsa Tung on my staff, and Cobb Mixter 
on the Foreign Affairs staff. I want to thank their counterparts on the 
Republican side.
  I want to thank Members on both sides of the aisle for signing aboard 
this resolution, bringing it to the floor quickly, permitting its 
markup in committee very, very quickly last week, and having it here on 
the floor within 8 days of this terrible humanitarian disaster. I ask 
all Members to support this resolution.
  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 
1195 authored by my good friend from Oregon, Mr. Wu, and of which I am 
a proud cosponsor. H. Res. 1195 expresses our condolences and sympathy 
to our friends of the People's Republic of China for the tragic loss of 
life and devastation caused by the earthquake in Sichuan Province.
  On May 12, 2008, a massive 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook China's 
mountainous southwest Sichuan province. This powerful quake and its 
aftershocks have killed over 40,000 people, injured hundreds of 
thousands more, and destroyed entire communities. The full impact of 
this disaster will not be realized for some time as rescue and recovery 
efforts are still ongoing.
  I applaud the courage and determination of the emergency workers that 
are placing themselves in treacherous situations while still searching 
for survivors. The recent report of over 200 emergency workers overcome 
by a mudslide is testament to their peril.
  The increased openness to news coverage in the devastated areas is 
also encouraging and has allowed the international community to share 
in China's sorrow and witness their massive emergency efforts. In 
support of these efforts, the United States offers any assistance that 
it can provide.
  I would also like to reiterate my condolences and sympathy to the 
Burmese people tragically impacted by Cyclone Nargis, and sincerely 
hope that the Burmese regime recognizes the desperate need for 
immediate unfettered international assistance.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H. Res. 1195. 
In times of great natural disasters, all humanity suffers. As the 
people of China have come together for a moment of silence, the world 
community must also unify in support of those that have suffered by 
these natural disasters.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 1195, expressing condolences and sympathy to the people of 
the People's Republic of China for the grave loss of life and vast 
destruction caused by the massive earthquake centered in Sichuan 
Province. I would like to thank my colleague Representative David Wu of 
Oregon for introducing this important legislation that reaffirms the 
humanitarian commitment of the United States to the people of the 
People's Republic of China who have become victims of a catastrophic 
earthquake. Let me also thank the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, Chairman Berman, for his leadership in bringing this 
resolution to the floor today.
  As my colleagues are aware, the province of Sichuan, in southwest 
China, was struck by a 7.9 magnitude earthquake on May 12th. Centered 
in Wenchuan County, the earthquake brought a plethora of devastating 
aftershocks, casualties, and tragedy. It is reported that the death 
toll has approached 40,000, and a further 250,000 people have been 
injured. With tens of thousands of people still missing, it is likely 
that these figures will only rise. Furthermore, the earthquake has left 
an estimated 4.8 million people homeless making this one of the most 
devastating earthquakes in China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake.
  A New York Times article published this morning describes the many 
residents of neighboring counties who have traveled long distances 
without hesitation to volunteer their services to the humanitarian 
needs of the victims. Record sums of money had also been donated to the 
victims of the earthquake. I hope that this resolution and stories of 
heroic action will also inspire others to take part in the global 
community to take action in contributing humanitarian aid.
  While the human toll is tragic, the sheer numbers of people who have 
lost their homes is truly colossal. Though rescue efforts may be 
nearing a close, relief efforts are only just beginning. Five million 
people are reported to be homeless in the wake of the earthquake, with 
government officials citing a ``desperate need for tents.'' Even as we 
work to meet these emergency needs, Mr. Speaker, we must also focus our 
efforts in studying and implementing ways on which we can prevent 
future disasters from affecting as many people.
  As Chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I am particularly 
concerned by the large number of children who were trapped within 
collapsing school buildings when the earthquake hit. Particularly 
tragic was the collapse of a three-story school building in the city of 
Dujiangyan, burying an estimated 900 students. According to reports, it 
is still not known how many children were killed by their own schools 
as the buildings fell down on their heads, and the Chinese government 
has reportedly called for an investigation into the collapse of school 
buildings. I would especially like to extend my condolence to many 
children caught up in this immense disaster.
  Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to commend the thousands of 
police and civilian rescue workers who have been working tirelessly in 
disaster areas to aid in rescue and recovery efforts. They are truly a 
testament to the good that exists in the world today.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation to 
extend sincere condolences and further the efforts of the United States 
to ensure the complete restoration of the tragic loss of life and 
devastation of the People's Republic of China.
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Capuano). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1195, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________