When Chen Ming-tong and Tsai Ing-wen Encounter Mounting Populism

 When Chen Ming-tong and Tsai Ing-wen Encounter Mounting Populism

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

February 18, 2020

 Translation of an Excerpt

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pneumonia epidemic, the DPP government has adopted extremely stringent measures towards Mainland China, endlessly sparking disputes involving politics bullying over humanitarianism. From the outset, it declared a ban on exporting facial masks, to twists and turns in charter flights ferrying Taiwanese stranded in Wuhan, to the four flip-floppings in one day by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) over the proposed conditions for Mainland spouses’ children returning to Taiwan for family reunions, which eventually were scrapped under pressure. All this shows, currently at all levels, from political to social, Taiwan’s anti-China, hate-China emotional responses have reached an unimaginable height that even the DPP has found it difficult to pacify.

Take for instance the case of the MAC. Originally, the whole thing was drafted out of humanitarian considerations; in order to avoid the fact that cross-Strait inter-married families being separated, thus against humanity, so the MAC proposed, under certain conditions, to allow Mainland spouses’ children to come to Taiwan; who knew it would ignite a vehement backlash on social media. Chen Ming-tong, MAC Chairman, became the target of netizens to vent their dissatisfaction, even asking him to step down.

People still remember that not too long ago vice president-elect Lai Ching-te, with a background of medical profession, did publicly urge "Taiwan and China are only separated by a strait. If China’s epidemic spreads, Taiwan will definitely be impacted, and Taiwan and the international community in jointly helping China’s epidemic prevention and control will also be tantamount to helping Taiwan and helping the international community." This was also met with much questioning and reproach by the Green camp and its supporters.

We believe no one will doubt the firm Green concepts and positions of Lai Ching-te and Chen Ming-tong, yet because of certain pragmatic and humanitarian considerations on the political level, they encountered scoldings from supporters, so much so that even President Tsai Ing-wen could not fend off anti-China and hate-China populist pressures, forcing her to appear publicly for putting out the fire. Let us ask, how much room is left for the DPP to plan and nurture cross-Strait rational interactions?

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