Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) yesterday said that the US was not notified in advance of the New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony at Twin Oaks Estate in Washington, but said the ceremony did not require “approval” and was done according to “precedent,” adding that it had deliberately not notified the US “out of good will,” to allow the US to have the leeway to declare that it had not known about the event beforehand.
The raising of the Republic of China (ROC) national flag on New Year’s Day at Twin Oaks, currently the residence of the nation’s official representative to the US, but once that of ROC ambassadors to the US, has caused friction between the US and Taiwan, with the predictable protest from China.
The ceremony was initially reported to have been “the first in 36 years, since the flag was lowered in 1978, when Washington switched recognition to the People’s Republic of China” and to have received “the US’ permission in advance.”
Photo: AFP
Shen, speaking at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee meeting yesterday, said those reports had been mistaken, because the New Year Day’s flag-hoisting was not the first in the past 36 years, as the flag was raised at a party to celebrate Double Ten National Day last year.
Accusing “certain media” of “misreporting,” Shen added that there was no need for the office to secure the US’ “approval” beforehand, it or its “forgiveness” afterward, since “the Twin Oaks is our property, which the ROC government bought for US$2 million.”
However, Shen said he would continue to communicate with US officials on the matter, after lawmakers voiced concerns that the incident might incur retaliatory actions from the US, such as stalling ongoing trade negotiations or lowering the level of bilateral exchanges.
The representative railed against “certain media” over their reports citing “an [unnamed] official in US President Barack Obama’s administration” as saying that the action had undermined trust and hurt the Taiwan-US bilateral relationship.
Shen denied that the quoted official, who reportedly laid out seven points to delineate the Obama administration’s position and disapproval of the event, could represent Washington’s official position, underlining US Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki’s remarks that “nothing has changed [concerning the bilateral relationship]” and contending that US policy officials he had talked to about the matter had expressed their understanding, and there has been “no repudiative comments from the US.”
However, Shen was informed by KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) of the latest remarks made by Psaki on Tuesday, which said the US is “disappointed with the action” and “the flag-raising ceremony violated [the two parties’] longstanding understanding on the conduct of [the Taiwan-US] unofficial relations.”
Lin nevertheless called the incident “a tempest in a teapot” and displayed a photograph during the meeting picturing the US national flag raised at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
“How come they can raise the flag at the AIT, but we cannot at Twin Oaks?” he asked.
People First Party Legislator Thomas Lee (李桐豪) attributed the controversy to China, “without whose pressure there would not be any problem with our flag-raising ceremony in the US.”
“The Chinese government has failed to keep a sober mind on this issue,” Lee said. “If Beijing cannot even recognize the ROC flag, is it trying to push Taiwan toward [formal] independence?”
“There has already been a 318 [Sunflower] movement, and if Taiwanese continue to see this kind of repression from China [against Taiwan’s international space], another 318 can be expected,” Lee said.
Shen said pressure from the Chinese government is incessant and that it is the “degree” that matters.
“I’ve heard that they also protested against our flag-raising on Double Ten. The difference this time, I suspect, lies in that the local Chinese-language newspaper, in addition to running the flag-raising event as a headline, ran the story of me attending the chairman handover ceremony of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association,” Shen said, implying that overseas compatriots’ support had further riled the Chinese authorities.
Shen, facing Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers’ repeated inquiries, denied that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Council or the Presidential Office had any advance knowledge of the event.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Kao (高振群) said the ministry relies on first-line diplomatic officials’ judgement and expertise and fully backs their decisions.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source