While the world is racing against time, hoping to find more survivors from the rubble of Pakistan's killer quake, the Chinese government and its diplomats are again putting most of their energy into the routine, blocking Taiwan from any international exposure at the expense of human lives.
For the past three years, the Chinese authority has carried out numerous exercises to perfect their skills in down-grading Taiwan's national identity, including blocking the WHO from delivering critical virus samples to Taiwan during the onslaught of SARS, and halting the delivery of Taiwan's tsunami aid to Indonesia. All at the costs of human lives, Taiwanese and others.
It is, therefore, no surprise to us that the experienced rescue team from Taiwan was turned away, while there was still hope of finding more survivors.
While recognizing and embracing China' s growing strength in global economics and mounting influence in diplomatic theater, we should always bear in mind the aggressive nature of the vindictive neighbor. These facts once again attest to the cruel reality of how far the Chinese authorities will go in inflicting damage on Taiwan' s sovereignty.
Therefore, if the deadly avian virus undergoes a seemingly imminent mutation toward a pathogen capable of causing an epidemic among the human population that is no less in virulence than the pandemic of 1918, we should be aware and prepared that Beijing will once again activate its elaborate mechanisms to keep Taiwan from participating in international efforts to fight the epidemic, or even from receiving information or supplies to save the people of Taiwan.
And when the unfortunate event does occur in Taiwan, mostly likely mediated by migratory birds or travelers from Guangdong or Hong Kong, no one, whether pro-unification or pro-independence, can be spared from the virus.
Lin Sungchyr
Taichung
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