Typhoon-stricken Taiwan welcomes US military aid
- Source: Global Times
- [17:00 August 14 2009]
- Comments
The Taiwan authority is welcoming international aid after Typhoon Morakot wrecked havoc on the island, saying the US intends to assist Taiwan with its military forces, according to the Chinese edition of the Global Times published Friday.
Taiwan has appealed for technical support from the international community, asking for oversized cargo aircrafts, which Russia and the US have, the BBC reported on Thursday.
Zhou Qi, a researcher with the Institute of American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences gave his analysis of this issue on Thursday with the Chinese edition of the Global Times. He said the US always makes a diplomatic stance on disasters for the sake of humanitarian grounds, but due considerations should be given to the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue in the Sino-US relationship.
The Chinese government will not reject international humanitarian assistance to Taiwan, but the US military presence in disaster-hit areas in Taiwan will definitely touch the sensitive nerve of China, Zhou says.
Major overseas rescue operations by the US Army were in Asia. During the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami, the US sent the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and five warships. After the Sichuan earthquake in May 2008, the army sent two C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircrafts to China to transport relief supplies.
