Anyone who came to china 25 years ago could notice the endemic corruption on every level. It simply got worse. China is ruled by a Communist Mafia of sleazy secretly picked functionaries who pass on various advantages to their friends and family. I saw it first hand with one of the country’s highest son of....who hosted me a number of times and was appalled by the incredible, lavish manner in which he could carry on. They used shoddy construction material, poor designs and unsafe methods of construction. The workers are treated very badly and there is no way that this bad trail of corruption that goes from the local level all the way to the dishonest top could change any time soon. The top saw what happened to Bush, “gazing” from his 747 at New Orleans and immediately flew Commie #2 to show his empathy with the people of the province. It was a clever P.R job. Those who know China know that it was a cynical number and means absolutely nothing. China has a long way to go. Instead of pouring billions into secret military expansion they could have equipped their provinces with adequate crews, training and equipment for emergency rescue work. Instead, they pass an urgent call to have rescue teams come to China from the outside and help them in their futile attempt to rescue those who may still be alive.