The Coronavirus Outbreak Presents an Opportunity for Cross-Strait Rapprochement

Taipei and Beijing could both extend olive branches in the name of a public health emergency that would otherwise be politically infeasible.

The5 Diplomat
Date: February 07, 2020
By: Jo Kim0   

The novel coronavirus outbreak that began in Wuhan couldn’t have come at a worse time for

China’s Xi Jinping: 2020, the year in which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has pledged to redeem the centennial goal of achieving a “moderately prosperous society.” Yet, as businesses struggle and crooked government institutions get exposed, China’s social stability and economy are taking a hard hit. The World Health Organization has declared the disease a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern,” and coordinated international response to the public health crisis is now more critical than ever.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s President Tsai-Ing Wen has depicted the island as the “forefront of global epidemic prevention.” While epidemics have frequented Taiwan, it is restricted from joining the WHO due to China’s claims over the island. As the staggering death tolls and economic damage continue to increase in China, public health may incentivize the two sides to break the current impasse.

For China, the pan-green Democratic Progressive Party’s re-election in January has instilled fear of Taiwan trending toward independence. China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said that any attempt to use the novel coronavirus to plot “Taiwan independence” is doomed to fail. Despite the political risks, China would have much to gain by dropping its incorrigibly obstinate political principles and permitting Taiwan’s accession in the WHO.

Given the number of Taiwanese visitors (over 700,000 in 2019) and China’s current “31 measures” to encourage Taiwanese to settle in China, Taiwan’s public health condition has grown increasingly consequential to China. Taiwan’s access to global public health cooperation should thus help prevent future pandemics in the region. As the new coronavirus continues to rampage within China, hardliners in Beijing should be more accepting of extending an olive branch to Taiwan to prevent future pandemics from crippling China’s already slowing economy and social stability – the foundations of the Chinese government’s legitimacy.
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