The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) indicated today (November 16, 2005) that according to various information sources, cases of bird flu outbreaks have recently been discovered in eleven provinces in China. At present, Chinese officials have only offered partial and unclear explanations of only a handful of cases. Only six provinces made partial public announcements regarding the bird flu epidemic situation. The lack of action is clearly a dangerous signal for the global campaign against the spread of the disease. At today’s press conference, Taiwanese Affairs Office (TAO) spokesperson stated all outbreaks had already been reported to Taiwan. However, international skepticisms about the reports’ transparency and the passive attitudes and actions of the Chinese officials indicate that not all the information has been released. According to reports from Hong Kong, Macao and other international channels, the outbreaks of bird flu have occurred in at least eleven provinces including Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, Sichuan, Fujian, Liaoning and Xinjiang. However, the Chinese authorities have neither publicly confirmed any outbreaks nor clearly announced which areas are bird flu-plagued. Their behaviors can only be described as extremely irresponsible. MAC reiterates that the government has the responsibility to guarantee the health and safety of its people. The Taiwanese government has already made necessary preparations to prevent the outbreak of bird flu. Due to close cross-strait interactions and frequent personnel exchanges, the Chinese authorities need to be more diligent and active in their approach when dealing with the complete disclosure of information related to the outbreak of bird flu in China. This is the only way to ensure that China does not become a fatal weak link in the global defenses against the spread of bird flu.
With regard to TAO Director Chen Yunlin and his delegation’s application to visit Taiwan, this would be the first ever case of fairly high political significance in the development of cross-strait relations. The Taiwanese government believes that it is a necessary procedure for both sides to discuss the matter through formal negotiations. If Chen Yunlin and other officials are sincere in their application to visit Taiwan, they should respond positively to the suggestions proposed by Taiwan, rather than avoiding the issue. TAO spokesperson made a statement today expressing the hope that Taiwan will deal with this case pragmatically. In response, MAC indicated that only through formal negotiations can the case be managed pragmatically. It will allow Taiwan to offer any necessary convenient measures to China. MAC once again calls on China to immediately respond to Taiwan’s proposal and send its representatives to Taiwan or allow us to send our officials to China to discuss the issue. This is aimed at enabling both sides to jointly seek the principles and approaches necessary to ensure that the matter is dealt properly and pragmatically.