Taiwan earthquake: Why doesn't Taiwan want China's help?

Taiwanese authorities have yet to estimate how much it will cost to recover from damage from Wednesday's deadly devastating earthquake that struck the island, which collapsed buildings, toppled water towers and triggered landslides that damaged roads and other infrastructure. The repair costs for the last earthquake of this size — which occurred in 1999, albeit much larger — were nearly $10 billion.

For a quarter of a century, Taiwan has rejected help from its estranged neighbor, China, and when an offer of help came again across the Strait this week, Taiwan was quick to reject it.

“It's not real kindness because you're constantly threatened by conflict,” Leif Nachman, an assistant professor of political science at National Chengchi University in Taipei, tells TIME of China's offer and Taiwan's speed in implementing it.

Read more: Pictures of devastation after the Taiwan earthquake

“We express our gratitude to the Chinese side for its attention,” Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said in a statement shortly after the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on the Chinese mainland reacted to the disaster on Wednesday. “There is no need for the Chinese side to assist in disaster relief due to this earthquake.”

Earlier, Zhu Fenglian, spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said: “Relevant parties on the mainland are deeply concerned and express their sincere condolences to the Taiwan compatriots affected by the disaster. They will pay close attention to the disaster situation and follow-up situations, and are ready to provide relief assistance.” In disaster situations.

Chinese state media has indicated that the quake occurred in “Chinese Taiwan,” and by offering aid, says Ja Ian Chung, an assistant professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, “it is trying to push this line that it is again doing something for what it sees as its own internal purposes.”

Experts say Taiwan's quick rejection likely stems from lingering bitterness over how the 1999 earthquake was handled. At the time, Taiwanese authorities described Beijing's attempt to oversee relief efforts as “completely inappropriate.” China has also stood in the way of the United Nations' ability to provide aid related to the 1999 earthquake, and it continues to exert its influence in international forums to prevent Taiwan from being recognized and fully engaged with other governments and organizations.

Read more: China rebukes Singapore, Philippines for congratulating winner of Taiwan election

“Aid from China is always conditional,” Chung tells TIME, explaining the Taiwan government's understandable resistance to allowing China to participate in current recovery efforts. He also pointed to a broader distrust of China among the Taiwanese public based on Beijing's insistence, which has escalated in recent years, that the island is part of the republic and that the two countries will soon be unified, by force if necessary.

“There is a lot of doubt about the intent of that [China]“Because of this military intimidation,” says Chung, referring to the near-constant flying of the People’s Liberation Army and its military ships around the island, “because of its unwillingness to deviate from the threat of using force to establish control over Taiwan.”

Recently, Taiwan affirmed its desire for independence when its people voted in favor of four more years of leadership by the China-skeptical People's Democratic Party. “Our door will always be open to engage with Beijing under the principles of equality and dignity,” William Lai, the president-elect who takes office in May, said as voters went to the polls in January. “While we aspire to achieve peace, “We have no illusions.”

Read more: Taiwan's election is not a disaster for Xi Jinping – unless he makes it one

As for China, it likely anticipated Taiwan's reaction, Nachman says. By making its offer that was almost certain to be rejected, China “didn't actually offer much kindness, but rather made Taiwan look bad, basically…and then [China] “They can say: 'Look, Taiwan is rejecting our kindness.'”

Ultimately, observers say the debate over cross-Strait aid is an unwelcome distraction. “Taiwan’s focus in the coming days should be on the well-being of its people,” Karishma Vaswani, a Bloomberg writer who focuses on politics in Asia, wrote in a recent column. “If China is sincere about its aid efforts, it should simply stay out of Taipei’s way.”

Taiwan's response to China's offer of assistance this week differs markedly from its response to a similar offer by Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took to the social media platform To the strong bond between Taiwan and Japan. Let's continue to help each other and join hands to get through these difficult times.

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