Taipei
CNN
—
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said the self-governing democratic island stands ready to assist China in dealing with a surge in Covid-19 after Beijing eased its tough approach last month.
China has abandoned its restrictive stance of having no Covid after nearly three years, ending lockdowns quickly, contact tracing, mandatory testing, and abolishing quarantine measures that severely limited people’s movement. people in and out of this country.
But a sudden exit from zero-Covid can lead to nearly 1 million people diedWith the country facing an unprecedented wave of infections spreading from its biggest cities to rural areas, according to a new study.
“Based on humanitarian needs, we are ready to provide necessary assistance (to China) when needed, so that more people can reverse the pandemic and have a healthy and peaceful new year,” she said. Thai said during his New Year’s speech on Sunday.
However, she did not specify what kind of support Taipei would provide.
China’s rollback of its Covid policy has caught people and the health system off guard, with some shelves empty of cold and fever medicines and hospitals struggling to cope with the surge. unprecedented number of infections.
China also announced last week that it would drop quarantine requirements for international visitors and resume overseas travel for Chinese nationals starting January 8 – but it also cause concern among several overseas governments as China’s Covid cases spike.
Countries including the United States, Japan and South Korea have moved to impose restrictions, while others such as France and the UK have made it clear that they are open to welcoming Chinese visitors – who was a major driver of international travel before the pandemic.
In her New Year’s message, Tsai also called on Beijing to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, saying it was the responsibility and common expectation of the entire region.
“War is not an option to solve problems. Only through dialogue, cooperation and the common goal of promoting peaceful development and stability in the region can we bring security and happiness to more people,” she said.
China’s ruling Communist Party considers Taiwan – a democratically administered island of 24 million people – as part of its territory, although it has never controlled it. They have long vowed to “reunify” the island with mainland China, by force if necessary.
Cross-Strait tensions have increased over the past year.
When the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan Last August, China lashed out at its foreign ministry, saying the trip would have a “serious impact on the political foundation of Sino-US relations”.
Not long after she landed in Taiwan, Beijing also conducted an unprecedented series of military exercises around the island.
