Thu, Aug 21, 2008 page3

• Foreign minister approves envoy to Japan

  TOKYO BOUND While the minister said John Feng’s language abilities made him a good choice for the job, a former envoy to Tokyo expressed doubts

  • By Jenny W. Hsu / STAFF REPORTER
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  Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) yesterday approved John Feng (馮寄台) as the next representative to Japan, saying Feng is the ideal candidate because he has the trust of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

  “Feng was educated in Japan for several years. He has a strong foundation in the Japanese language and I believe he will establish contacts very fast once he arrives in Japan,” said Ou, adding that the most important characteristic for a representative was the ability to convey the president’s message clearly and accurately.

  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Feng’s appointment on Tuesday night, nearly 40 days after the seat was left vacant by Koh Sei-kai (許世楷), a renowned Japan expert who resigned in the midst of the Diaoyutai incident in June.

  

  From left at front, Representative to Germany Wei Wu-lien, Representative to Switzerland Hsieh Fa-dah, Representative to Nigeria Liu Fu-tien, Representative to New Zealand Tsai Erh-huang and Representative to Bahrain Sa Chih-yuan are sworn in at a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

  PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES

  Feng, a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and a longtime trusted aide to Ma, served as ambassador to the Dominican Republic and as the ministry’s chief of protocol. He was also director of international affairs for Ma’s campaign in the presidential race.

  The ministry said Feng, 61, completed several years of primary and secondary education in Japan while his father was serving as a diplomat. He later obtained a master’s degree in public relations from Harvard University.

  Asked about Japan’s opinion on Feng’s appointment, ministry spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) held up his thumb and said the Japanese were very pleased.

  Asked for comment, KMT Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞), who just returned from a trip to Japan with Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) last Wednesday, lauded Ma’s choice.

  Lee said that Feng’s experience in diplomacy and his proficiency in Japanese made him a good candidate to be the nation’s representative to Tokyo.

  Lo Fu-chen (羅福全), a former representative to Japan, however, was reserved in his assessment on Feng’s appointment, saying Feng’s unfamiliarity with the Japanese cultural and political scene could impede the development of relations with Japan.

  “Japan is one of Taiwan’s most important friends. We must not take the position lightly. Feng has an arduous task ahead of him because he lacks the necessary familiarity with the Japanese society, cultural and political climate,” Lo said.

  Moreover, he said, unlike his predecessors, Feng is virtually unheard of in Japan.

  In related news, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) yesterday expressed hope that Taiwan would enhance economic and trade exchanges with Japan, and that businesses from the two countries would work together to tap Chinese market.

  Liu made the remarks while receiving Saito Masaki, the new chief representative of the Japan Interchange Association Taipei Office, in the Executive Yuan.

  Liu said the government believed improving cross-strait relations would bring peace and prosperity to East Asia and that cooperation between Japanese and Taiwanese businesses on the Chinese market would lead to a win-win-win situation.

  ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND SHIH HSIU-CHUAN
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