Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen Offers Unusual Condolences for China's Floods... Could This Open the Door to Cross-Strait Improvement?

Direct Condolences in the President's Name... China Also Responds

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen attended and delivered a speech at the launching ceremony of the latest landing platform dock (LPD) warship Yushan (玉山·1401) held in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan on April 13 (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who has been at odds with China, unusually expressed condolences in her name regarding the flooding in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China, where at least 32 people have died or gone missing. China also publicly expressed gratitude, raising the possibility of improved cross-strait (China and Taiwan) relations.

According to local foreign media including Taiwan's Central News Agency on the 22nd, Taiwan's Ministry of Transportation and Communications spokesperson Chang Dunhan said the day before, "We convey President Tsai's condolences and concern," adding, "President Tsai expressed her condolences to those who tragically lost their lives and their families, and hopes that the disaster area will soon recover from the flooding and return to normal life."

It is very unusual for President Tsai to directly express condolences regarding a major disaster in China. Therefore, there is analysis that this signals a willingness to reconcile with China.

Zhao Chunshan, honorary professor at Taiwan's Danjiang University Mainland China Research Institute, told the Central News Agency, "In the past, condolences toward China were announced through organizations such as the Mainland Affairs Council or the Straits Exchange Foundation, but this time it was done directly in the president's name," adding, "Since Taiwan has shown goodwill first, we hope the other side of the sea (China) will feel Taiwan's goodwill." He further added, "As climate change has become an issue of international concern, the two sides may cooperate on agendas such as climate change and natural disasters in the future."

Vice President Lai Ching-te, known as a hardliner toward China, also expressed a conciliatory stance. Through his Facebook account, he said, "The common enemy of the world is natural disasters," and "When the Chinese people face disasters, we sincerely hope that no more casualties occur in the disaster area and that the suffering from the flooding passes quickly."

On the 20th, heavy rain poured down in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province in central China, as citizens walked through flooded streets. On this day, a record-breaking downpour in Zhengzhou caused 12 passengers trapped in the subway to lose their lives, and 100,000 residents were urgently evacuated. [Image source=Yonhap News]

China responded in kind. The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the Chinese government department responsible for Taiwan, stated in a press release that day, "Relevant parties and various sectors in Taiwan have expressed concern and condolences to the disaster area in various forms, and some companies have also donated to the disaster area," adding, "We express our gratitude for this." However, it did not specifically mention President Tsai by name.

Since Tsai Ing-wen, who leans toward Taiwanese independence, took office in 2016, China has pressured Taiwan in various fields including diplomacy, military, and economy. As conflicts between the United States and China worsened and Taiwan maintained close ties with the U.S., cross-strait relations deteriorated to the point where China mentioned the possibility of using force.

However, recently, there is an assessment that President Tsai has cautiously begun to improve relations with China. It is also analyzed that her appointment in February of Chiu Tai-san, considered a moderate toward China within the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, as head of the Mainland Affairs Council aligns with this context.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.