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Chinese leaders nowhere to be seen as flood rampages through southern China

蘋果日報 2020/06/27 07:12



The unusual absence of Chinese leaders in provinces in Southern China hit by torrential rain causing severe flooding and damages has sparked speculations.

According to Chinese official estimates, as of Tuesday, more than 112 million people have been affected in 26 provinces or municipalities south of the Yangtze river with damages so far amounted to 24.1 billion yuan (US$3.4 billion).



The Chinese premier or other top officials were quick in the past to visit regions struck by natural disasters. But there has been no such visits so far since torrential rain began hitting the country's southern regions almost a month ago leading to severe flooding.



The absence of visits by top officials to the flood-stricken areas has fueled fear with the locals concerned about the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river being on the verge of collapse.



Rumors of a possible dam collapse have been spreading in mainland China as rainstorms show no sign of easing. The Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television reported on June 21 that the reservoir water level had reached 147m, two meters above the flood limit level of the Three Gorges Dam.



Some suggested that the coronavirus outbreak in Beijing might be the reason the top leaders have disappeared from public view.



Separately, Taiwanese businesses in mainland China have reportedly become another victim of the flooding and a target of state extortion, according to Taiwan's Liberty Times.



The newspaper reported that some Taiwanese business owners who have operations in mainland China have been asked to donate at least 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million) to the flood relief efforts by a certain deadline.



The business owners told the newspaper that their businesses have merely been scraping by the past few months as they struggle through the economic downturn caused by the global Covid-19 outbreak. Some said they intend to close operations in mainland China as the business outlook there is grim anyway and Chinese government policies are becoming less favorable for Taiwanese businesses.
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