While some observers praised Taiwan’s speedy response to the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti last month, many also said President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) personal response to the disaster missed the mark.
US President Barack Obama called a press conference one day after the disaster struck, telling Haitians that they would not be abandoned or forgotten and that the US would stand with them. He also telephoned Haitian President Rene Preval the following day and regularly updated Americans on the progress of his administration’s relief efforts.
In comparison, the first time Ma mentioned the country’s relief efforts was at a dinner party with the country’s diplomats stationed in East Asia and he did not call Preval until 10 days later. Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) was on vacation in the US at the time.
Analysts said they did not mind the administration’s less aggressive diplomatic approach, but they agreed that the government was too low key in responding to the allied country’s devastation.
Byron Weng (翁松燃), a public policy professor at National Chi Nan University, said the “diplomatic truce” policy should not be applied to allied countries.
While the Ma administration would not challenge Beijing on the diplomatic front, Weng said it must spare no effort in “doing what it had to do” for the country’s diplomatic allies.
As there are only 23 countries recognizing Taiwan, Weng said it made perfect sense for the Ma administration to advertise its care for Haiti because Beijing was doing the same thing.
“The government might as well be closed down if it even wants a ‘diplomatic truce’ with a diplomatic ally,” he said.
Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉), an assistant research fellow at the Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica, said the government could have taken a more conspicuous approach when coming to the aid of its allied country.
Although the country’s relief operations could not rival those of Washington, Hsu said, it would be feasible for the Ma administration to call an international press conference to announce that the government took the matter seriously and would take concrete measures to help its allied country get back on its feet.
“To show a tolerant spirit, the administration could even welcome China’s humanitarian assistance to its diplomatic ally,” he said.
He was reluctant to criticize Yang, saying he would have done the same if his daughter were getting married.
Tung Chen-yuan (童振源), a professor of the Graduate Institute of Development Studies at National Chengchi University, said Taipei could not match the scale of Washington’s aid operations due to their national might and geological location.
Although Ma was relatively low key immediately after the disaster, Tung said the country was swift in responding to the disaster, including sending a rescue team.
“We have dispatched rescue workers and provided aid like money and supplies,” he said. “President Ma also met Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive in the Dominican Republic during his trip to the region.”
While Ma has dismissed speculation that Beijing had any political intention in rushing aid to quake-hit Haiti, some analysts warned that it was too early to say.
Weng said it was illogical to assume Beijing did not have any political intentions when it engaged in international affairs.
Political implications could be immediate or long-term, he said, but it was clear Beijing wants closer ties with Latin America.
Weng also said it was unnecessary and meaningless for Ma to say whether Beijing had any intention of becoming allies with Haiti at the moment because it would only be interpreted by many as his wish to “cast amorous glances” at China.
Hsu said that all countries had political interests in mind and that political intentions were multifaceted and complicated.
“Humanitarian aid shows a country’s soft power. Does it count as political intention?” he asked. “It also helps raise a country’s international profile.”
As president of the country, Hsu aid, Ma would never say Beijing had any ulterior motive in aiding Haiti because if he did, it was bound to affect cross-strait relations and he would be admitting his failure in handling cross-strait affairs.
Kan Yi-hua (甘逸驊), a professor of diplomacy at National Chengchi University, said the disaster was a “test” for Taiwan and China, which he said had clearly designated missions there, with Taiwan doing its job as an allied country and China helping UN peacekeeping efforts.
“The incident serves as evidence that Ma’s foreign policy works,” he said. “Both sides showed a mature and practical attitude in offering humanitarian assistance there.”
As Taiwan does not object to its diplomatic allies developing business relationships with China, Kan said he hoped Beijing would reciprocate by allowing its allies to develop closer ties with Taiwan.
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