Taiwan Earthquake: Why Taiwan Doesn’t Want China’s Help

Taiwanese authorities have yet to estimate how much it will cost to recover from the damage caused by the massive, deadly earthquake that struck the island on Wednesday, which collapsed buildings, felled water towers, and caused landslides that damaged roads and other infrastructure. Repair costs for the last earthquake of such a scale—in 1999 and albeit much bigger—reached near $10 billion. A quarter century ago, Taiwan rejected help from its estranged neighbor in China, and when an offer to help came from across the strait again this week, Taiwan speedily...