Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) offered to resign yesterday over what he called the ministry's mistakes leading to the resignation of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairwoman Therese Shaheen.
"AIT Chairwoman Therese Shaheen's departure is very regrettable. Shaheen is Taiwan's good friend and plays the role of a communication bridge between the Republic of China and the US," Chien said at a news conference yesterday.
"We are very thankful for Shaheen's contribution to promoting Taiwan-US ties since she took over at the AIT," he said.
Chien said the ministry has overlooked certain procedures and failed in its supervision of the institute, which, in a way, led to Shaheen's resignation from her post on Wednesday.
The George W. Bush administration is believed to be displeased about a note Shaheen sent to President Chen Shui-bian (
Pan-blue lawmakers claimed the ministry had asked Shaheen for the congratulatory remarks, a charge Chien strongly denied.
The manner in which Chen Chien-jen (程建人), Taiwan's top representative to the US, obtained Shaheen's congratulatory message has also triggered questions. After the AIT charwoman had phoned Chen Chien-jen to congratulate the president with his re-election, he asked her to sign an official congratulatory note.
Apologizing over Shaheen's decision to step down, Chien said, "I will never evade my responsibility. That is why I offered my resignation."
The minister said he has offered his resignation in both verbal and written form to the president and Premier Yu Shyi-kun.
At press time yesterday, the Presidential Office and Cabinet had issued no official comments about Chien's resignation.
Chien's press conference yesterday afternoon had an unusually high profile and was unexpectedly short. The ministry had been extremely tight-lipped about its reasons for calling the emergency press conference.
Before the press conference started, ministry spokesman Richard Shih (
Chien, leading his three vice ministers and other senior ministry officials into the pressroom, wrapped up his announcement in several minutes, shook hands with reporters and left soon after.
He did not mention whether a possible successor was being considered or what his plans were after his resignation.
Chien's resignation comes at a time when speculation is rife over who will replace Chen Chien-jen as Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Washington.
Chen Chien-jen's job at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office is viewed as one of the government's hottest positions. Chien and Mainland Affairs Council Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) have been mentioned as potential candidates.
During his brief announcement yesterday, Chien said: "I am very grateful for President Chen's trust and respect over the past four years. Two years ago, because of President Chen's and Premier Yu's support, I was appointed as the minister of foreign affairs. I will be thankful for the president and the premier's help and love forever."
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
RSS