The SARS outbreak that originated in China has resulted in disasters for Taiwan and several other countries. Meanwhile, Japan is now voicing support for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) after witnessing the SARS outbreaks in China and Taiwan. Japan is calling for observership status for Taiwan to stop a potential loophole in the global epidemic control network while circumventing political problems.
Recently the Japanese government has notified China twice of its desire to support Taiwan's entry into the WHO. Beijing has expressed its opposition, but Japan's recent gestures have been a great boost for Taiwan's pursuit of the rights of its 23 million people. After the SARS epidemic is over, the WHO will inevitably have to review China's cover-up of its epidemic. At that time, the serious harm caused to Taipei will also come under the international spotlight. Asian countries which have close relations with Taiwan are likely to take a more serious look at the consequences of this nation being excluded from global epidemic control -- if only for their own self-interest -- because they could very well be the victims of this lapse.
In an attempt to stop the WHO's assistance to Taiwan, Chinese Vice Premier and Minister of Health Wu Yi (
The "attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health" has been the WHO's objective since its inception. However, Beijing's cover-up and obstructionism in the SARS crisis threw a monkey wrench into the WHO's epidemic control network. Only when the situation began to spin out of control in China and reports of SARS outbreaks emerged in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Canada and Taiwan did the global health body really began to intervene. More than 500 people have died from SARS, thousands more have been hospitalized and tens of thousands have been quarantined. The economic losses incurred by these outbreaks are difficult to estimate.
The WHO must never allow a repeat of this mistake. It must formulate a strategy to deal with the Chinese government's habitual cover-ups and to prevent damage to the security and welfare of people around the world.
The people of Taiwan long ago lost hope in Beijing's capacity for soul-searching. After the 921 earthquake three years ago, China tried to block international aid to Taiwan. When did the Chinese leadership ever care about the plight of the people of Taiwan? The WHO should understand that excluding Taiwan for political reasons can incur a huge price. Allowing the people of this country to be exposed to the threat of disease is also against the spirit of humanitarianism.
The SARS outbreak has told us clearly that China is incapable of taking care of Taiwan. On the contrary, China by its intransigence has harmed the lives of Taiwanese time and again. The WHO should help Taiwan remove this threat instead of kowtowing to Beijing and abetting in its vice.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with