The SARS epidemic which originated in China has claimed six of Taiwan's medical workers. All Taiwanese people grieve over their deaths. But who is to blame? China, of course.
Were it not for China's SARS outbreak, Taiwan would never have had the virus. Were it not for China's intentional cover-up of the disease, SARS would not have become a global epidemic. Were it not for constant flow of people between Taiwan and China (Taiwanese businesspeople made 3.8 million visits to China last year, or more than 10,000 visits per day), the nation would not have become a seriously affected area.
At most, it would have been in the same situation as Europe, the US and Japan, where there are SARS cases but the epidemic is easily controlled.
Doctors and experts all agree that before a vaccine is developed, quarantine is the only way to contain SARS. In other words, contacts with affected areas should be reduced.
However, it is baffling that even though we have suffered many citizens' deaths and tens of billions of NT dollars in economic losses, only domestic quarantine has been mentioned until now. Some still view China as a sacred territory, prioritize the benefits of China-based Taiwanese businesspeople and fear to discuss the possibility of quarantining China.
If we still issue landing visas to travelers from SARS-hit areas, such as Hong Kong and Macau (the decision to suspend the visa issuance for one month was not made until April 26) and allow local businesspeople coming home from China to freely move around, it will be impossible to effectively control the epidemic from spreading here.
Fortunately, the plan to offer charter flights to bring home Taiwanese businesspeople infected with SARS in China was not adopted. We do not know how many more physicians and flight attendants would have to succumb to the epidemic if the plan had gone ahead.
The fact that SARS originated in China indicates that China's natural environment has long been the hotbed of various epidemics.
Even if China adopts high-handed measures to bring the epidemic under control, that might be just a superficial achievement, given the country's vast farming villages and backward border areas.
If the government fails to grasp reality and allows tour groups to visit China after the epidemic there eases, this will be no different from inviting another wave of SARS, in light of the 3.8 million Taiwanese visits to China recorded every year.
Apparently, if the government wants Taiwan to be free from SARS and other new plagues, then temporarily forbidding its people from touring China (until Taiwan is admitted into the World Health Organization) would be an effective measure that does no harm to ourselves and can decrease passenger traffic across the Taiwan Strait to a controllable range.
It not only is conducive to the future epidemic prevention efforts in Taiwan, but can also block a second invasion of SARS.
The SARS outbreak has taught us a lesson -- only by cutting off relations with China can Taiwan achieve developments in safety and stability. By completely isolating itself from China before 1987, Taiwan created an economic miracle and was safe from epidemics.
Since it started frequent exchanges with China, however, epidemics that had not been seen here for decades have attacked Taiwan one after another, such as dengue fever, foot-and-mouth disease, anthrax, avian flu, hantavirus, sickness in Taiwanese abalones and cholera.
These outbreaks take a heavy toll on the rural economy. The flow of capital to China has dramatically reduced people's wealth, leaving behind bad loans in the trillions of NT dollars. This time, the SARS epidemic has inflicted a loss of hundreds of billions of NT dollars on the nation, and the figure is still on the rise.
However, China has never blamed itself. The recent overbearing attitude and remarks of Chinese representatives over Taiwan's WHO entry bid serve as proof, telling us that appeasement will never change China's suppression of Taiwan. Instead, it will fan China's flames of arrogance.
Is it true that China's bullying and trampling on Taiwanese people's right to existence and dignity cannot arouse our moral indignation and patriotism? No, it isn't.
A recent opinion poll shows that 64 percent of the respondents believe the government's restrictions on China-bound investment should be stricter. The figure is a new high among such surveys.
Meanwhile, 78 percent of the respondents agreed to keep the ban on entry and departure of people from SARS-stricken areas, such as China.
Why hesitate? Let's sever relations with China so that Taiwan can stay away from plagues and SARS, as well as salvage the economy.
The idea that people can control the risks themselves and the government need not intervene is preposterous. This is as unpractical and dangerous as the notion that people can implement home quarantine by themselves and no government power and intervention is needed.
It might help facilitate commercial activities between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and satisfy Taiwanese businesspeople. But it will definitely leave Taiwan's economy in a tough spot from which it may not emerge for eons.
Huang Tien-lin is a national policy adviser to the president.
Translated by Jackie Lin
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