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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Helping China fight virus could mend ties: analysts
The Presidential Office Building is pictured during the New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony yesterday. Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
GOODWILL GESTURE: Taiwanese testing positive for COVID-19 upon returning from China could provide important information about Chinese strains, a policy analyst said
By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff writer, with CNA
Taiwan’s willingness to help China fight its COVID-19 outbreak could present an opportunity to improve cross-strait relations, analysts said yesterday.
President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） in her New Year’s address yesterday said that Taiwan is willing to help Beijing tackle its COVID-19 crisis.
Tsai said that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the hope of all Taiwanese, and the responsibility of all countries in the region.
She said that Taiwan and China should resolve their differences and conflicts through communication.
Tsai’s remarks suggest that the government is not advocating a position to “resist China and protect Taiwan,” but is urging Beijing to engage in dialogue with Taipei and take responsibility to maintain peace in the region, Cross-Strait Policy Association secretary-general Wang Zhin-sheng （王智盛） said.
Tsai’s willingness to help signals goodwill to China in the hope that the two sides can gradually restore healthy and orderly exchanges after the pandemic, he said.
It is up to Beijing to decide how to respond, he added.
Wang suggested several concrete measures to help Beijing fight COVID-19, including sharing information about the pandemic and SARS-CoV-2 strains, as well as Taiwan’s experiences in disease prevention.
If Taiwanese living in China returning home for Lunar New Year holiday later this month test positive for COVID-19, it would be important to know the strains they carry and the type of vaccines they have received, he said.
It is not clear whether China is willing to share information with others, but “we are willing to share it with China,” Wang said.
If necessary information is provided, Taiwan could provide Beijing with disease prevention supplies through centralized distribution, similar to the government’s mask rationing scheme, he said.
Helping Beijing fight the pandemic might ease tensions across the Strait and revive exchanges based on considerations of the public interest, he added.
Chao Chun-shan （趙春山）, an honorary professor of China studies at Tamkang University, said that Tsai’s speech calls on Beijing to engage in dialogue to improve cross-strait relations and showed kindness toward Chinese.
The most direct assistance Taiwan could provide is medical resources, such as masks and rapid test kits, he said.
Taiwan could also send medical teams to China, as the latter is facing a shortage of medical staff, he said, adding that such an effort could be arranged by non-governmental organizations if sending official teams proves difficult.
Leaders in Taiwan and China should take concrete action to improve relations across the Strait, he said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
