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BBC: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Criticized for School Bus Donation

BBC Chinese recently reported that Chinese netizens widely criticized the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs because, on November 25, 2011, China donated 23 school buses to Macedonia. On November 16, 2011, a school bus accident in Gansu Province had just caused the death of 19 Chinese children. At the time 64 children were on a school bus that had a maximum capacity of nine children.

The donation of 23 luxury school buses to Macedonia immediately triggered massive online discussions. BBC English reported, "On Sina Weibo – one of China’s Twitter equivalents – more than 480,000 entries on the subject had been published by Monday. One commentator, Liang Yu, a TV news presenter in the southern city of Guangzhou, asked with an emoticon in tears: ‘Where are our school buses?’" The Ministry’s spokesman explained that the agreement of the donation was reached at the beginning of the year and the donation “demonstrated China’s international responsibilities.”

Source: Chinese, November 28, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2011/11/111128_china_school_bus.shtml
BBC English, November 28, 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-15916190