The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus is treating China’s “small favor as a great kindness and great virtue,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said yesterday, while KMT Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong said the DPP should not oppose China’s goodwill just for the sake of resisting Beijing.
In a news release on Saturday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said it was ready to donate prefabricated buildings to Hualien County in Taiwan in the wake of the April 3 earthquake that measured 7.2 on the Richter scale and caused loss of lives and widespread damage in the county.
The disaster relief supplies would be donated through Red Cross organizations on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, it said.
Photo: Screengrab from the office’s livestream
The TAO’s statement came amid a visit to China by a delegation led by KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi.
Wu said the delegation’s China visit lacks representation, and its itinerary and discussion topics were determined by the Chinese Communist Party.
The TAO’s willingness to donate prefabricated buildings “is only a small favor, but Fu has mistaken it as Beijing’s great kindness and virtue,” she said.
Prefabricated buildings were an option 25 years ago when the nation was devastated by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, and there were no other alternatives, she said.
“There are better methods to resettle people affected by the earthquake now, so why should Taiwan retrace its old steps?” she asked. “Or is it because Fu cannot say no to what Beijing wants?”
Prefabricated buildings pose challenges such as their construction, management and dismantlement, she added.
Separately, Hsieh said the earthquake in Hualien attracted international attention.
No matter if it is the prefabricated buildings donated by China or fundraising boxes in the streets of Japan, they all show goodwill toward Taiwan and the nation should treat them equally, she said.
Communication and negotiations are reciprocal, so the two sides of the Strait should maintain a good relationship to be together for a long time, she said.
The DPP should not always resist China and go against its goodwill, Hsieh said.
Additional reporting by Lin Che-yuan and CNA
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