China’s tofu buildings can be made safe – but at a cost

The devastation caused by the Sichuan earthquake has shocked China. But how much can it learn from its neighbour Japan about quake-proofing buildings?

"Tofu buildings fine on the outside, but not much sturdier than the bean curd on last night's dinner table." That's how the Chinese describe the dismal results of a building boom that has long emphasised haste over quality, says Bloomberg's William Pesek. But this month's devastating earthquake turned cynicism into terror. "Once the death toll figures are tallied, there will be a price to pay among government officials" as questions are asked on why schools crumbled so easily, and why another 420,000 more buildings fell in the aftershock.

The Chinese response to the country's worst natural disaster in 30 years was rapid and came with "uncharacteristic openness", says The Economist. One hundred thousand troops were deployed and state-owned TV provided non-stop coverage. There was no attempt to hush things up. That suggests the leadership is learning disaster management but once the rescue is over, can China learn longer-term lessons from a near-neighbour constantly threatened by the same problem?

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