Kudos to Tribune foreign correspondent Uli Schmetzer for his comprehensive coverage of the earthquake in the Republic of China on Taiwan and the tensions that have resulted from the disaster politics being played by the People’s Republic of China. It is disappointing that the mainland government has chosen to use this tragedy for its political advantage and to assert its claim of sovereignty over Taiwan rather than to build goodwill. The Beijing government, by muscling in to “thank” foreign governments for their relief efforts, on behalf of the people of Taiwan, has done more damage to relations across the Taiwan Straits than any foreign government could.
Beijing’s traditional position, that any and all relations it has with Taipei are domestic matters, seems to have blinded it to the simple fact that when natural disasters strike any nation, the common threads of compassion and empathy should transcend political boundaries in pursuit of providing humanitarian aid.
The facts that Mr. Schmetzer reported speak for themselves: Even though Taiwan has contributed $47 million to victims of past disasters on the mainland, such as the devastating floods of the 1990s, Beijing seeks to impose conditions on its offer of $100,000 in aid. This is why Taiwan does not wish to accept donations from Beijing, nor any foreign donations sent through it.
No matter how much Beijing claims it wants to help the victims, it continues to make poor decisions when it comes to relations with Taiwan. Emotions have been running high on both sides of the Taiwan Straits all summer, and Beijing could have used this tragedy to build bridges with the Taiwanese. But it’s hard to respect a regime that jockeys for political position at the expense of lives.
