As soon as Taiwan’s latest COVID-19 outbreak started heating up, it became clear that the nation was still not fully prepared, and that there was no really consistent nationwide policy in place, be it the criteria for suspending classes or whether and how people should be isolated after coming into contact with confirmed cases.
If policies are unclear, people would take their own view of the situation and do as they see fit. In that case, the number of cases would grow even faster.
The current international situation suggests that living with the virus is necessary and inevitable. While, the government does not dare to head in that direction, it is at the same time allowing companies and schools to do whatever the people in charge of them decide. This confusing approach is making the public feel even more fearful.
What people are seeing in the news is that government employees must be isolated from their coworkers if they come into contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases at gatherings or meetings. However, what happens when confirmed cases are discovered in private companies? How many private firms are really implementing the policy that people who had come into contact with COVID-19 cases should be isolated?
Perhaps the government, out of consideration for the public’s livelihood and the economy, does not dare to arbitrarily impose strict rules on close contacts, but if the situation goes on like this, the chain of transmission will never be broken and the whole population will end up getting infected.
The present gap in awareness between government and private companies would only make people more confused about what to do.
The quickly rising number of confirmed cases is having a wider impact, so the government must clearly say whether it will adopt a policy of continued restrictions or relative relaxation.
In the current confused situation, there is already a tacit acceptance that Taiwan is on the way to coexisting with the virus. If it is true that most people who catch COVID-19 now have mild symptoms, it probably means that people are already coexisting with the virus. If so, the government should set an orientation and let the public understand what consequences might follow after such a policy is announced, instead of there being one set of standards from the central government, and another from private companies and communities.
Fear and panic will only pervade society. Only by acting in unison can the nation get through the present difficulties and move forward.
Nancy Chan is a customer service representative.
Translated by Julian Clegg
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
Chinese President and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) said in a politburo speech late last month that his party must protect the “bottom line” to prevent systemic threats. The tone of his address was grave, revealing deep anxieties about China’s current state of affairs. Essentially, what he worries most about is systemic threats to China’s normal development as a country. The US-China trade war has turned white hot: China’s export orders have plummeted, Chinese firms and enterprises are shutting up shop, and local debt risks are mounting daily, causing China’s economy to flag externally and hemorrhage internally. China’s
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were born under the sign of Gemini. Geminis are known for their intelligence, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It is unlikely, then, that the trade conflict between the US and China would escalate into a catastrophic collision. It is more probable that both sides would seek a way to de-escalate, paving the way for a Trump-Xi summit that allows the global economy some breathing room. Practically speaking, China and the US have vulnerabilities, and a prolonged trade war would be damaging for both. In the US, the electoral system means that public opinion
RSS