A misfortune creates optimism across the Taiwan Straits

The Sichuan Earthquake has happened as Taiwan ushered in a new era, with the defeat of President Chen Shui-bian's pro-independence party by the Kuomintang, which has traditionally adopted a less hardline attitude towards China.

While it still asserts Taiwan's identity as separate from China, the earthquake has allowed the island's incoming Kuomintang leadership to begin its administration on the best possible note when it came to bilateral relations.

Even before he was sworn in, Ma had made prominent and high-profile contributions, donating money as well as turning up at charity fundraisers for the Sichuan earthquake victims. And at his inaugural speech, he referred to the Sichuan quake victims as 同胞, or brothers and both mainland Chinese and Taiwanese media were quick to pick up on his language of choice, as indication of close(r) ties across the turbulent Taiwan Straits.

Instead of the animosity and antagonism that characterised his predecessor Chen Shui-bian's time in office, Ma was portrayed as more humane and popular with the people. China had watched as Chen's party was defeated resounding at the March 22 presidential vote. Allegations of corruption and fraud against those within his close circle, including the First Lady, were played out constantly in the media and in all probability played a major role in the ouster of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party. But in China, his fall was taken as an indication that the prodigal renegade province was finally on the way of come home.

In the days following the quake, Taiwanese media had made it a point give round-the-clock coverage to relief efforts, and stories of miracle rescues, heroic sacrifices and tragic separation of families. Traditionally sensationalistic and emotional, these were what the Taiwanese press were known for and the drama emerging from Sichuan provided just the right content.

Newscasters broke down openly on screen, exhortations of brotherhood among all Chinese people were pronounced in print and on the air, as the island followed closely the plight of 15 members of an elderly tourist group remained missing in Sichuan. They rallied behind efforts to raise money for the victims and emerged as the single largest external donor.

All this and Ma's declaration of brotherhood led up to the visit by his party's top man to China. One of the first stops was the mausoleum of Dr Sun Yat-Sen in the city of Nanjing.

Dr Sun is the rare figure in modern Chinese politics who is beloved in both Taiwan and China. He was the one behind the revolutionary force which eventually ended dynastic rule in China and it is from his death that Taiwan and China split into two separate entities.

Internal strife and power politics eventually saw Dr Sun's successor Chiang Kai-shek escape with his faithful to Taiwan where he set up a government apart from the Chinese Communist Party, and declared the island the Republic of China - Mainland is officially known as the People's Republic of China - giving rise to the division that still stands today.

Decades of tense face-off now show signs of easing with Taiwan's new leadership.

Kuomintang chief Wu Poh Hsiung could not have chosen a better stage. He stood at the square in front of Dr Sun's mausoleum, named after the late leader's motto to love all, 博愛. From there, before all gathering media, he proclaimed that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belonged to the Chinese race and that it was a blood tie that no one could eradicate.

If that was not enough, he heaped praise on the Chinese leadership. 人民最大. "The people were the most important," he wrote in calligraphy and said that would be his party's directive now that they were in power. China's top leaders heading to the frontline of the disaster, not fearing for their own safety and helping out was exactly an example of that.

Taiwan had refused to be a part of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in defense of its sovereignty, but Wu dropped by the Games venue when he was in the Chinese capital. He also met with Chinese president Hu Jintao, and this is the first time that the chiefs of the ruling parties of China and Taiwan have met.

Under normal circumstances, all this would have appeared to be openly pandering to Beijing to the more cautious or perhaps skeptical back home in Taiwan. But against the backdrop of the incredible outflow of Taiwanese sympathy for the victims and the repeated pronouncements of brotherhood, it became OK.

If the Kuomintang does stand by the words of its chief and place the people as top priority, what does this mean for cross-straits relations?

The ground work has now been laid for future discussions and Wu has left an invitation for Chinese leaders to visit Taiwan for further talks, and is even coming back for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in August as President Hu's guest.

Even in the spirit of cautious optimism, these are encouraging times across the Taiwan Straits, all of which would not have been possible without the goodwill generated from the gestures made by the Taiwanese in aiding the Sichuan quake victims.

What decades of human diplomacy could not achieve, Mother Nature accomplished in just one afternoon.