The summer of 1976 was particularly hot, with the earth steaming hot. At this time, the "Cultural Revolution", known as the decade of catastrophe, was nearing its end. Everything is restless under the scorching heat and sun, and there is uneasiness lurking in the restlessness......

At 3:42:53.8 a.m. on July 28, Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China, was still asleep. This largest heavy industrial city in Hebei Province accounts for 1 percent of the country's output value with an area of 1/10,000 and a population of 1/1,000, and owns the largest coal mine in China, Kailuan Mine, which can be described as one of the most important pillars of China's national economic edifice. And yet, a second later—

It's like 400 Hiroshima atomic bombs exploding in the earth's crust 16 kilometers above the ground! The city of a million people was razed to the ground in an instant. 242769 people were killed and 164851 disabled in the earthquake. Calculable direct economic losses amounted to more than $3 billion, while the investment in disaster relief and reconstruction was almost incalculable. The rescue personnel who went to Beijing from Tangshan rushed to Zhongnanhai at a gallop, and when they saw the leaders of the Central Committee, they cried and shouted: "Chief, Tangshan is all peaceful...... 1 million people, at least 800,000 are still being pressed! "Everyone present cried......

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Tangshan earthquake was the deadliest modern earthquake, with as many as 242,000 deaths. It was the international earthquake intelligence community – from the Palmer Observatory in Alaska in the United States to the Uppsala Seismological Institute in Sweden to the Japan Meteorological Agency to the Taipei Meteorological Bureau – that were the first to report a strong earthquake in China. Finally, he realized that the news blockade would not do any good, so he followed the foreigners and announced to the world through the Xinhua News Agency: A strong earthquake occurred at 3:42 on July 28 in the Tangshan-Fengnan area of Yidong Region of Hebei Province, China......"

As soon as the news was confirmed, countries and international organizations in various countries and countries immediately expressed great concern about the disaster situation in China. The next day (July 29), the Secretary-General of the Federation, Waldheim, sent a telegram to Prime Minister XX, saying that the United Nations "is ready to help the people in the affected areas in their struggle to overcome the effects of this natural disaster." "Same day. British Foreign Secretary Crosland announced in the House of Commons: "Britain has expressed its willingness to provide emergency aid and medical supplies to China. "The late Wartime Prime Minister Winston during World War II. Winston Jr., Churchill's grandson. Churchill also suggested that engineering units should be sent to China immediately to help build water supply facilities that must be put into operation immediately. On July 30, Japan's Foreign Minister Miyazawa reported at a cabinet meeting that "Japan will take the policy of promptly dispatching relief supplies for the earthquake in China." He also instructed Ambassador Hyocheon to convey to China that medicines, clothing, tents and other items are ready and will be sent out as soon as the Chinese side is ready to accept them......

But to everyone's surprise. Mao XX actually refused foreign aid. During the relief period after the Tangshan earthquake, China announced that the Chinese people were determined to overcome difficulties with the spirit of self-reliance and refused to provide external assistance. When the news of the Tangshan earthquake reached the world, the United States, Japan and other Western countries prepared a large number of relief materials, and they only waited for China's words to approve before shipping them to China. However, this humanitarian goodwill was rejected.

We can imagine how much the devastated Tangshan needed the advanced disaster relief equipment and materials sent by the international community, and how the victims of Tangshan who were injured in the earthquake at that time were eager for the advanced medical equipment, medicines, and skilled medical personnel sent by the international community. If the assistance of the international community had been able to reach the Tangshan disaster area in time without resistance, the damage caused by the Tangshan earthquake would have been greatly reduced, especially since the number of deaths would never have reached 242769 -- a frightening figure.

What is even more incomprehensible is that the National Earthquake Administration at that time was busy "criticizing Deng and opposing the right" and class struggle. After the meeting, a member of the committee proposed that Beijing should be secured first and that the director of the State Earthquake Administration should not go to Tangshan, where the epicenter was located. Stay in Beijing and stand by. There has even been a rumor among the people for many years that the magnitude of the earthquake was 8.3 on the Richter scale. It was falsely reported to be on the Richter scale of 7.8. In order to prevent international investigation and rescue agencies from entering China (if the magnitude is above 8, international organizations have the right to intervene in accordance with the law), then all kinds of truths will be exposed. In order to save "face", the total number of people killed by natural disasters and related information have always been listed as 'state secret matters', and it was not until 1979 that China disclosed for the first time that 242769 people died in the Tangshan earthquake.

So why refuse international aid? The answer is this: first, Western countries completely dominated international aid in the 70s. The purpose of their assistance is to seek strategic goals and effects in the form and means of economic assistance. Western countries hope to infiltrate other countries through aid. Buying and supporting opposition leaders and co-opting relatives and staff around the leaders of the current regime. The United States has summarized its international assistance goals into five core objectives: promoting institutional change, strengthening the poor and weak, providing humanitarian assistance, supporting strategically prioritized countries, and focusing on global and transnational issues. The "color revolution" in the CIS is that the Western countries, led by the United States, waive the banner of various "economic aid". The result of the infiltration of "democracy" in the CIS.

Second, Western aid still comes with political strings attached. According to data published by the United States in 1996, 72 percent of U.S. foreign aid comes with political strings attached. Moreover, the U.S. aid law stipulates that U.S. aid is used to purchase U.S. products. Sixteen to 22 per cent of Iraq's reconstruction funds are used to cover U.S. troops and other security-related expenditures. Many of the contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq were drafted before the outbreak of the war in Iraq.

Third, China has learned a hard lesson. In the 60s, China suffered three years of natural disasters, but the former Soviet Union still forced China to repay its debts (including the military aid of the Chinese Volunteers in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea) and withdrew the experts who were working on the construction project, which made China even worse and fell into an even more difficult situation. However, in the fifties and sixties, when domestic and foreign affairs were quite difficult, the first generation of the leading collective with Mao XX as the core adhered to the principle of independence and self-determination, withstood the pressure of major powers, and safeguarded the country's sovereignty and national independence. It has inspired the spirit of self-reliance of the Chinese people and overcome temporary economic difficulties. A repetition of the mistakes of the countries of Eastern Europe was avoided, freed from the influence of the USSR. After the successful development of the atomic bomb, Mao XX said sarcastically: 'Khrushchev should be given a 1-ton medal'.

Downing couldn't understand this theory from beginning to end, not to mention that the conspiracy behind the aid was just a possibility, and did not treat what did not happen as a fact, even if there was a conspiracy, then no matter what, the lives of the people were the most important, and everything should be rescued as the first priority. (To be continued.) )