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One Year On: Foreign Affairs - In foreign affairs, achievements and frustration

Sunday, May 20, 2001, Page 17

President Chen unveils the sign for a a road named after him in Chad's capital N'Djamena during his trip to Africa last August. FILE PHOTO

Taipei Times: What would you cite as the major achievement during the past year in implementing Chen Shui-bian's foreign policy initiatives, and what are the areas that require further effort?

Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂): Since taking office as Taiwan's minister of foreign affairs, I have stressed continuity and stability in our foreign policy, as was repeatedly emphasized by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). The three main directions of our foreign policy have always been, and still are, to consolidate official relations with our diplomatic allies, to strengthen bilateral relations with nations that have no formal ties with Taiwan, and to seek to join international organizations. Moreover, I have urged everyone in Taiwan to do his or her share and take part in diplomatic activities under our principle of "people's diplomacy."

During the past year, we successfully arranged President Chen's state visit to six nations in Central America and Africa. We made considerable breakthroughs in bilateral relations with many nations, including the forthcoming mutual establishment of representative offices between Egypt and Taiwan.

The US government has further given us a number of positive signs, both in words and actions, such as the recent announcement of significant arms sales to Taiwan and the loosening of restrictions on President Chen's transits through the US. We have also completed the drafting of the "International Cooperation and Development Law," under which from this year on we will send young men with professional backgrounds in agricultural engineering or health care to help people in developing countries as an alternative to military service.

Tien Hung-mao Age: 63 Place of Birth: Tainan Experience: PhD in political science, 1968. President of the Taipei-based Institute for National Policy Research. 1996-2000, national policy advisor to president Lee Teng-hui. Successes: Ties with Taiwan's 29 diplomatic allies secured, initiatives for inserting input from the non-state sector were introduced. Failures: Setback: Taiwan's 5th attempt to become World Health Organization as an observer failed. Grade: A-

In the future, we will continue to seek to establish formal diplomatic ties with more nations, and to improve bilateral relations with nations that have no formal ties with Taiwan, especially the US, Japan and the EU. We will continue with our efforts to gain membership in the UN, WTO and WHO, and strive to encourage "people's diplomacy" so as to inspire all the people of Taiwan to care more about and participate in our diplomatic activities.

TT: Despite the administration's ambition to promote so-called "democracy diplomacy" and "human rights diplomacy," some of Taiwan's allies have less-than-satisfactory human rights records. How would you explain this irony?

Tien: Many observers, especially here in Taiwan, tend to belittle the accomplishments of our formal diplomatic allies. However, according to the Freedom in the World: 2000-2001 report released by Freedom House, half of the countries that recognize us were categorized as "free" and only 10 percent were labeled as "not free," while 45 percent of all the countries in the world were labeled as "free" and 25 percent were identified as "not free."

Although most of our allies are not as wealthy as Taiwan, they too have made great strides in the promotion and protection of human rights in their own countries. Like Taiwan, many of our allies have also been active participants in the "Third Wave" of democracy, and we are all moving forward together. And as we are doing so, it is appropriate that we frequently talk with each other and share experiences. There is much we can learn from each other.

TT: What's your view on Taiwan's alleged practice of so-called "dollar diplomacy" which has drawn so much criticism in the past?

Tien: I would like to make it clear the ROC government has never practiced so-called "dollar diplomacy." In the past, the ROC put a considerable focus on economic cooperation and overseas humanitarian assistance. For example, when Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America, we provided emergency funds to the countries devastated by this natural disaster to help their people rebuild their nations.

Moreover, we have for years sent technical teams to less developed countries to help them build their economies from the bottom up, and much of this assistance focuses on helping improve the vocational and technical skills that their workers and farmers need. These projects are mostly done under the sponsorship of bilateral or multilateral cooperation programs.

Over the years, Taiwan's contributions have gained worldwide recognition, and we are often praised for the way in which we share our economic success with others around the world.

TT: To what extent does Taiwan's stagnant economy during the past year affect the foreign ministry's work in expanding Taiwan's external relations?

Tien: It is true that Taiwan's economy, like most economies in the region, has been in a downturn for about a year. The psychological frustration derived from the economic downturn seems to have gradually sunk into people's morale, lowering their confidence about the country's prospects. Meanwhile, the budget of the foreign ministry has also shrunk due to a shift in exchange rates and budget cuts, thus limiting resources available for foreign affairs. All of these have had a strong impact on the Ministry's work. Nevertheless, the government is trying to make the most of the present limited resources in order to strengthen relations with allied countries and forge substantial ties with the US, European countries and Japan, among others.

TT: From your point of view, to what extent has China's rising power in economic terms been reflected in its efforts to further isolate Taiwan internationally during the past year?

Tien: We feel that Beijing now has more financial and economic resources that can be channeled into diplomatic purposes. We feel that they are using their economic resources increasingly and more effectively, and we feel the challenge because of that. Those challenges are real. In my position as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I have to read the reports sent back from our overseas embassies and representative offices. Through those reports, I can feel the impact of the more assertive efforts on the part of Beijing, and these diplomatic challenges are quite real. We have to face up to them and get on with our work.

TT: Many years ago, you were a member of the World United Formosans for Independence. To what extent does this background serve as an asset or liability to your current job as the foreign minister of Taiwan?

Tien: I'd like to believe that it's rather irrelevant. I think we are talking about something that happened when I was a student, and that was decades ago. One had to keep in mind that in the 1960s many young people felt that the political system in Taiwan was repressive, and it was not the same as now, obviously. And furthermore, in those days any student who felt concerned about social and political progress would participate in activities that were likely to be highly critical of the government. But the situation has changed considerably. Even the most persistent advocates of certain political courses have returned to Taiwan to run for office through the democratic process, etc. So I don't think anything that one participated in several decades ago, under an entirely different circumstances, should have any impact at all on what one is doing today in an entirely different political system.
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