Typhoon Morakot brought Taiwan the worst flooding in decades and the government’s feeble and uncoordinated relief efforts made matters worse for the victims. At the same time, the situation has provided China with an excellent opportunity to advance its unification strategy.
In the first days of the disaster, China used existing links between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to announce a donation of more than 100 million yuan (US$15 million) in emergency aid.
China then openly expressed its willingness to provide rescue helicopters, even saying that if it didn’t have the required types of helicopters, it could rent them from other countries. A fund-raising campaign was launched all over China. As the Ma administration came under fire from all sides, China stepped up its combined typhoon relief/unification strategy with a donation of 1,000 prefabricated houses.
Bypassing the Taiwanese government and the Red Cross, it handed a donation of 20 million yuan directly to Non-Partisan Union Aboriginal Legislator May Chin (高金素梅), ostensibly with the intention of persuading Aborigines to identify with China. Faced with these moves, we are compelled to remind Taiwanese to increase their vigilance, even in the midst of relief efforts, and not to allow China to take advantage of the floods to further its unification strategy.
The floods are the worst since those brought by Typhoon Ellen in August 1959. Unfortunately, the current government is the most incompetent and unsympathetic administration Taiwan has had in at least 50 years, and the least capable of sharing in the public’s hardship. Natural disaster and human incompetence have snowballed to make the situation even worse.
It is, of course, perfectly normal for any country to accept help from abroad when disaster strikes. When the Sichuan Earthquake struck in May last year, killing nearly 70,000 people and injuring hundreds of thousands, the Taiwanese public felt great sympathy and made donations of more than NT$6 billion (US$182 million). If China now wishes to repay Taiwan’s generosity, we are happy and grateful to accept its help.
It must be said, however, that on the numerous occasions when Taiwanese have donated money and materials following disasters in China, they did so for purely humanitarian reasons. There was no nationalistic talk of blood being thicker than water: The help was given out of simple human compassion.
When disasters happen in other countries, Taiwan goes to their aid just the same by making charitable donations or sending rescue teams, as long as circumstances allow.
China’s aid to Taiwan, on the other hand, is laden with political implications. Beijing insists on acting as if it were helping people in one of its own localities, and on tying its aid to nationalistic notions of assisting fellow members of the “great Chinese nation.”
Each move China makes smacks of political maneuvering. Like a hypnotist, Beijing hopes Taiwanese will lose their clarity of judgment, making them pliable and vulnerable to a “tender offensive.”
Chin’s acceptance of China’s donations is a clear example. Accepted international practice calls for donations from abroad to be given to the government of the affected country so that it can decide how to use them.
For example, donations from the US, Japan and other countries have all been given directly to the government through their representative offices in Taiwan, not to particular civic groups or political figures.
In contrast, China’s donations were given first through CCP-KMT party-to-party channels and then directly to a political figure. The intent to cultivate support for China is obvious. Furthermore, Beijing’s assistance is always offered in terms of relations between “compatriots” on each side of the Taiwan Strait, denial of Taiwan’s independent and sovereign status.
When Morakot struck Taiwan, Chin was in Japan calling for the names of Aborigines who were recruited to fight in the Japanese army in the Second World War to be removed from the Yasukuni Shrine. After returning to Taiwan, she spent several days visiting her constituents in typhoon-stricken areas before going to Beijing to receive the donation.
Chinese President Hu Jintao’s (胡錦濤) decision to meet Chin, convey condolences through her and give her relief money was more a token of Beijing’s appreciation of her protest activities in Japan than a mark of genuine concern for the flood victims.
It doesn’t matter whether people are new or old immigrants, Aborigines or migrants — anyone who identifies with Taiwan can be a master of this country. But when Chin took a group of so-called representatives of the Aboriginal community, dressed in Aboriginal costume, for an audience with Hu, the scene looked like one of vassals paying tribute to an emperor.
Even more surprising was the statement made by former chairman of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, Walis Pelin, who said: “We have never split from the mainland. Taiwan has experienced many alien rulers in its history — the Dutch, the Qing Dynasty, Japan and so on. The Republic of China came from outside, too. If they treat us badly, we can find other friends who will treat us well.”
Chin and Pelin’s behavior degrades the status of Aborigines, turning masters of the country into slaves. It is a disgrace for Aborigines and for their ancestors and descendants.
China’s efforts to use disaster relief to promote unification through certain politicians and political groups are clumsy enough to be seen through by ordinary Taiwanese, so its machinations are unlikely to succeed.
What is most worrisome is that the government is so incompetent that all it can do is turn to China for help. Coming under criticism from all quarters, the government may find itself in such a squeeze that it will become more reliant on China than ever.
It plans to sign a memorandum of understanding on financial oversight and an economic cooperation framework agreement as a means of drawing public attention away from its failings.
China, for its part, is aware that the Taiwanese public’s vigilance may be lowered while they are busy dealing with the disaster, and it is likely to take advantage of the situation and help Ma’s China-friendly administration by making various behind-the-scenes deals that sell out public interest.
If so, when the natural disaster has been dealt with, Taiwan could face an even greater political crisis.
TRANSLATED BY JULIAN CLEGG
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