《TAIPEI TIMES》Virus used as ‘weapon’ for ‘united front’: academic

By Chung Li-hua and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Chinese authorities are “weaponizing” a coronavirus outbreak as a “united front” strategy by refusing to allow the repatriation of 501 Taiwanese, including two infected, from Wuhan, an academic said yesterday.

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Taiwanese authorities have tried to arrange a charter flight to repatriate Taiwanese who have expressed a desire to return home, but Chinese authorities have refused the request, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said on Thursday.

Taiwanese authorities should seek assistance from people with connections in China, National Chengchi University professor Lee Yeau-tarn （李酉潭） said, giving as examples Hon Hai Precision Industry Co （鴻海精密） founder Terry Gou （郭台銘）, who has business operations in China; Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je （柯文哲）, who holds annual city-to-city exchanges with Shanghai; and Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu （韓國瑜）, who studied in China.

“Having scientific affairs decided by one person is absurd,” he said, adding that the situation has probably caused rifts within the Chinese government.

The outbreak has thrown China into disarray, as all decisionmaking — including announcements related to the disease — must be made by the Chinese Communist Party, Lee said.

Although China is likely using the outbreak to further its “united front” efforts directed at Taiwan, in the interest of helping Taiwanese trapped there, it would be best to avoid provoking Beijing, he said.

“It is better not to assume that the Taiwanese trapped in China cannot return home. It is too early to give up,” Lee said.

National Cheng Kung University professor of political science Hung Chin-fu （洪敬富） echoed Lee’s assertion that China was using the outbreak as a “united front” tool and suggested that Taiwan try to repatriate its citizens using charter flights operated by another nation.

As the US, Japan, South Korea and the UK have evacuated their citizens without issue, it is clear that China is treating the Taiwanese as its citizens, according to its “one China” principle, Hung said.

Beijing allowing Taiwan to charter a flight to repatriate its citizens would be tantamount to recognizing its sovereignty and seeing it on an equal footing with other nations, he said.

Beijing is likely using the outbreak to show that it can do a good job of taking care of Taiwanese, while demonstrating that it has the upper hand in matters related to Taiwan, Hung said.

“Human sympathy should come before sovereignty issues. China should not be politicizing this issue,” he added.

The government should hold an international news conference to draw more attention to the issue, Hung said.

The relatives of the trapped Taiwanese yesterday spoke to them via video chat at a news conference in Taipei.

One Taiwanese in Wuhan said that there was a shortage of medicine and surgical masks, and that those with minor illnesses refused to visit doctors out of fear that they might contract a more serious illness at hospitals.

They stayed indoors most of the time and hoped to return home as soon as possible, they said.

Hsu Cheng-wen （徐正文）, one the conference’s organizers, said the majority of the Taiwanese in Wuhan were there for travel or business, adding that only 5 percent of them are residents of Wuhan.

Many businesspeople trapped there are likely to lose their jobs in Taiwan, while students would miss the start of classes, he said.

The Taiwanese whom he had spoken with are aware that they would need to be quarantined for two weeks upon their return home, Hsu said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES