Leaders around the world expressed condolences to the victims of yesterday's devastating earthquake, with many countries also offering assistance in ongoing relief efforts.
Absent from those offering assistance, however, was the UN, which could do little since it does not recognize Taiwan, a UN relief official said.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said all it could do was to pass on information about the quake. To do more would require the Chinese government to request assistance on the behalf of Taiwan, which both it and the UN consider to be a province of China.
PHOTO: CHUNG KUO-WEI, LIBERTY TIMES
A green light from the Beijing authorities would enable more countries to respond, OCHA official Rudolf Mueller said. "We are awaiting China's official position indicating it would welcome assistance."
Other countries which abide by a "one China" policy recognizing only Taiwan have not been so squeamish diplomatically .
US President Bill Clinton was the first one who extended his condolences to Taiwan and pledged to provide US aid to cope with the catastrophe.
"Our thoughts are with all of those who have suffered losses and who may still be in need of assistance," Clinton said in a statement issued from the White House.
Clinton said the US was "in touch directly with Taiwan authorities" to determine what assistance the US could offer.
Vice Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (
Japan said yesterday it was sending more than 100 rescue workers to Taiwan and would provide US$500,000 in aid.
Thirty-four rescuers from Japan's maritime safety agency and police and fire-defense agencies left Japan for Taiwan yesterday evening, according to the foreign ministry, while another 37 rescue workers were to leave late yesterday night. Another 35 were to leave for Taiwan this morning.
Singapore sent a team of 39 rescue workers yesterday, and Seoul's foreign ministry announced the dispatch of a 60-member rescue team.
Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry dispatched a 76-man team, and a 15-member team from the Turkish non-governmental search and rescue association AKUT also left for Taiwan yesterday.
Meanwhile, Japan's Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong Pil and Pope John-Paul II sent messages of condolence.
China also sent condolences and offered assistance, though as of press time it had not approached the UN on Taiwan's behalf, nor was there any indication that Taipei would wish it to do so.
President Jiang Zemin (
"We are willing to offer any possible assistance to alleviate quake-caused losses," Jiang said.
Jiang's pledge of assistance comes at a time of heightened tension between Beijing and Taipei following President Lee Teng-hui's(
Su Chi, chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, said yesterday that Jiang's remarks had helped the worsening ties between Taiwan and mainland China, and he expressed hope that they would contribute to a positive development of bilateral ties.
Analysts said yesterday that offers of humanitarian aid might bring a thaw to the current cross-strait atmosphere.
"Jiang's statement was a good approach to modify China's image, especially when it comes after Lee's `two-state' model announced on July 9. Starting from the humanitarian aid basis, at least, it could give some positive upswing to cross-strait ties,'' said Lee Deng-ker (
"If Lee can react in a friendly manner to Jiang's offer it might be a good opportunity to ease the current cross-strait tensions,'' he added.
"Once the interaction between the cross-strait leaders attracted press attention, it could become a focus in the international community.''
Lin Bih-jaw (
"We need to further deliberate all the consequences, so we can't ask President Lee to issue any statement right away,'' Lin said.
"Jiang's declaration was mainly aimed at helping our damage-control. Except to express my appreciation, I am reluctant to make other comments at the moment,'' he said.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Henry Chen (
French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder also expressed sympathy and support for Taiwan.
Chirac "addressed a message of sincere sympathy and condolences to all the victims of this catastrophe and their families," his spokeswoman Catherine Colonna said.
"France is following the situation closely and is ready to provide the Taiwanese people with the support and emergency aid they may need," she added.
In Berlin, Schroeder expressed his "deep sympathy" and his "deep compassion to the quake victims and their families," government spokesman Uwe-Karsten Heye said.
Offers of help were also received from Germany, Switzerland, Britain, Spain, Israel and Thailand.
A subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company that has lost control of two critical ports on the Panama Canal said it is seeking US$2 billion of compensation in damages from Panama over its “illegal” takeover of the ports. Panama Ports Co, a unit of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings (長江和記實業), on Friday said in a statement that it is demanding the sum under international arbitration proceedings that it had already started. The Panamanian government last week seized control of the Balboa and Cristobal ports on each end of the Panama Canal, after the country’s Supreme Court declared earlier that a concession allowing
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
RSS