Gansu Red Cross confirms ‘expensive’ water was donated

A director with the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) Gansu branch said Wednesday that the 1,900 cases of water for local earthquake survivors, that Web users had complained were too expensive, had been donated by the company.

The explanation came after a Sina Weibo posting by the RCSC Tuesday evening that its Gansu branch had urgently transferred a batch of Aershan drinking water worth 194,400 yuan ($31,687) to the quake-hit counties of Minxian and Zhangxian following the 6.6-magnitude quake that hit the province on Monday.

The post soon attracted many negative comments as a bottle of this brand costs around 4 yuan, while other brands cost only 1 to 1.5 yuan.

"The water was not purchased by the Red Cross. It was donated by its producer, and the value is in accordance with its retail price," Yuan Bo, director of Gansu Red Cross, was quoted by people.com.cn as saying.

RCSC clarified the issue on its Weibo Wednesday and posted a receipt it issued Tuesday to Aershan for the donation.

An unnamed employee with the Gansu-based water company Jianxin Group told the Global Times that the water was donated by the company Tuesday.

The company also said on its Weibo that the water was donated for free out of the social responsibility of a Gansu company to its hometown, and care of and aid to the victims.

"We have no intention of commercial promotion," said the company.

"The RCSC should be praised for making an immediate and open response to the doubters," Zhu Lijia, a public management professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, told the Global Times, adding that the response helps to eliminate the misunderstandings and improve its image.