From my position of coordinating economic relations between Taiwan and Germany for more than two decades, I wish to make a few statements to complete your story about Mr. Shieh Jhy-wey (
It is not true that Shieh is the first representative sent to Germany who speaks the language and knows the country and its people, as you say.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s we had the legendary Mr. Tai An-guo (
His German-language comprehension and his eloquence was fabulous and exceeded those of most German natives, while his knowledge of Germany, its history and its people was at least as good as that of Shieh. He had to face the difficulty of German-Taiwan relations at a time when they were at a low level.
The same language comprehension counted for people like Sherman Shen (
Admittedly, following him were a few colorless figures. But the incumbent representative, Hu Wei-jen (
Furthermore, it is not true that the de facto embassy of Taiwan in Berlin had to be rented under the name of a private person. That is ancient history. However, it is true that Taiwan's government gives many more quasi-diplomatic privileges to foreign trade offices and chambers of commerce in Taipei than they deserve, while German reciprocation is much more reluctant. I cannot even begin to understand why German kowtowing before China has to be expressed in the denial of even the most innocuous decorative effects.
However, the recognition afforded by German authorities is not always so limited.
During the opening ceremonies for the annual Hannover Fair and CeBIT, the traditional VIP round table for international industry and association dignitaries -- presided over by the German chancellor -- is not open to the diplomatic corps. But Hu has always been on the list of invitees, giving him direct access to the highest level of government during this informal event. This is just one example.
Hu's farewell reception in Berlin, which I attended last week, featured the vice president of the German parliament as keynote speaker, paying tribute to the many achievements of the outgoing de-facto ambassador. The president of the parliament ranks second in German protocol, below the national president and above the chancellor.
There were speeches from other distinguished guests, too, and while I took the opportunity to address some of them afterwards, they regretted the change of envoy at this stage of relations between Germany and Taiwan. While they refrained from calling it a mistake, they expressed their disappointment in no uncertain terms.
This is to set the record straight on your otherwise highly professional interview. What remains true at the end of the day is your headline: The successor will definitely face a challenge, and I wish him all the luck that he needs to fill the footsteps of his predecessor.
Dieter Neumann
Hannover, Germany
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