The longest birthday I’ve ever had was exactly three years ago today, on a flight from the USA to Taiwan that, thanks to the 12-hour time difference between the Caribbean and China, virtually made my special day 36-hours-long.
That official visit, along with other colleagues from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states, took place at a time when Taiwan was losing allies at a very uncomfortable rate during the first four-year term of the ruling Democratic People Party (DPP) led by current President Tsai Ing-wen.
My 2021 birthday unfortunately coincides with another unfortunate time for Taiwan, when another national event of international import has again caused Taipei to suddenly jam the brakes at just the time when the road was all clear.
Taiwan reported 333 new cases Monday, a new daily record for the island following 207 cases on Sunday and 180 new infections Saturday.
Its accumulated case numbers on Monday also jumped to 2,015, sparking panic in supermarkets and among stocks on the island that weeks ago was all but COVID-free.
Indeed, this has significantly affected Taipei’s most recent and repeated call to share its secret COVID success with the rest of the world.
Until last weekend, Taiwan had done very well in keeping COVID at bay for almost one year, after taking early measures to curtail international flights and ban all non-resident arrivals as early as January 2020.
From 380 cases and five deaths on April 9, 2020 to 1,600 cases and 12 deaths until last week, the Taiwan authorities have now had to impose the stiffest restrictions (like everywhere else): Masks in public, Social Distancing, No Mass Gatherings, Work-from-Home, Primary and High School Closures, etc.
The outbreak also prompted a surge in vaccine appointments, with the island administering a record 16,180 jabs last Wednesday.
Like Saint Lucia and all its allies everywhere else, as well as Asian countries that had initial success in curtailing the virus, Taipei has struggled to persuade its citizens to get vaccinated.
Taiwan received 117,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in March, but as of May 13, only 0.55% of the population had received their first dose.
This new situation will likely force Taiwan to revisit its strategy for the upcoming May 25, 2021 meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO), where its diplomatic allies, backed by usual friends, have been preparing to argue for Taipei to be invited to the table — even if only as an Observer — on the basis of its proud record of being almost COVID-free for so long.
But all is never lost…
Taipei can still offer to share with the rest of the world how it was able to survive that long (until the inevitable).
The world now again reminded that no one nowhere is safe from COVID-19 in an interconnected planet, in addition to encouraging enough nationals to trust vaccines, Taiwan, by its own most recent experience, can also now also join the rest of the world in demanding more equitable distribution of vaccines globally — starting with the Caribbean, where entire populations in over 30% of its remaining allies are left to rely entirely on the mercy of world’s richest countries for vaccine donations.
With the WHO’s COVAX scheme some two billion vaccines short and developing countries begging the rich nations and their pharmaceutical giants to release their patent strangleholds and allow developing countries like India and South Africa to also produce sufficient vaccines for their own populations, Taiwan can now willingly join those earnestly calling for Big Pharma to consider the vulnerabilities of it’s (and China’s) allies in developing countries and small-island states worldwide, particularly in the Caribbean, Africa and Pacific regions.
Like Taiwan, the vaccination drives in its five allied CARICOM and OECS (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States) states (Belize, Haiti, St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent & The Grenadines) are below par – and both are also entirely dependent on Oxfod-AstraZeneca deliveries, meaning that Herd Immunity levels also remain very far away, in both cases.
My usually fertile imagination continues to see and treat such unfortunate incidents in the usual way of identifying both the Challenges and Opportunities, which, in this case, can lead to fundamental rewrites in the recent history of Cross-Strait ties and Chinese-Caribbean ties.
Between Beijing and Taipei (together), all the vaccines and supportive equipment and infrastructure need to completely vaccinate Taiwan and the entire Caribbean region can be made possible, far less for the 20+ million people in the 15 CARICOM member-states and 23 million in Taiwan.
It doesn’t take a scientist or mathematician to figure-out that even with 43 million people needing two AstraZeneca vaccinations, that’s no problem for China – but only if Taipei and Beijing can agree to continue to disagree on disagreeable matters; and agree anew to do what they surely can between them, to secure the health of the populations of less than twice Taiwan’s population.
But, as history has also shown, it always takes a correct combination of politics, diplomacy, mutual will — and timing — for countries that don’t usually see eye-to-eye to share a common view on how best to help common friends and mutual allies.
Chinese on both sides of the watery Strait have for the past 20 years each and together experienced, high and dry, what it’s like when Beijing and Taipei are dancing, or quarreling.
In the 71 years since they have mainly allowed the Strait to separate and divide, both sides have built and broken bridges only to rebuild them, but always raising air and sea barriers to facilitate valuable family links and neighborly tourism exchanges and economic and commercial investments.
It is inevitable that China and Taiwan will eventually settle even their most fundamental differences, by mutual agreement.
But until then, there’s no evidence Taipei is about to change course.
With President Tsai starting the end of her second four-year term and President Joe Biden beginning his first, evidence is that Biden is biding its time.
But, as always, Washington will most likely eventually continue doing big and good business with China, though regularly quarreling with Beijing, while tap-dancing with Taipei.
Yes, I believe that Challenges always bring Opportunities and it’s only those who seek will find and use them when they arise.
After all, if China and Taiwan were to cross the dividing Strait line and agree to do what they can together to fully vaccinate both Chinese and CARICOM populations, who’s to set a limit on how much more can come out of such an encouraging, positive global accomplishment?
Meanwhile, I continue to hold on to ‘My China Dream’ — of flying direct from Saint Lucia to Taipei to Beijing and back, non-stop.
Or vice versa…
If visions and dreams are equal products of healthy thought and imagination and wishes are not only limited to birthdays, I hold on to my limitless vision of living that dream.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s immediate task is to fix its flat tire – and use the down time to decide where’ll be its next stop in the unending battle against this invisible virus that mutates and spreads faster than anyone can imagine and can last for as long as no one can yet well imagine.
Me today? I’ll continue to thank my Mum for affording me the pleasure of living to live and to dream…