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Congress members request change to annual guidance

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday declined to comment on a recent move by eight US congressional members requesting that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice instruct the State Department to remove any language that may disparage Taiwan’s democracy.

“It is a matter of US internal affairs and the ministry has no comment on it,” MOFA spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said.

A Central News Agency report said eight members of the Taiwan Caucus, including Representative Shelley Berkeley of Nevada and Steven Chabot from Ohio, claimed the annual guidance that the State Department hands out each year contains wording that denigrates Taiwan’s hard-won democracy.

The guidance has been handed out to all US foreign service posts and personnel since 1979 — the year Washington switched ties to Beijing — shortly before every Double Ten day, to remind US officials of restrictions regarding communications with their Taiwanese counterparts.

Under the guidance, US officials may not attend any Double Ten day celebrations, write letters on US government letterheads or envelopes or meet Taiwanese officials in government buildings or offices.

The disgruntled congressional members said that many anti-Taiwan phrases have been added to the document since last year, such as a description of the US “one-China” policy, as well as the phrases “Taiwan is not an independent sovereign country” and “the US does not support Taiwan’s participation in any international organizations where statehood is required.”

In this year’s version, the term “one-China” was also used, sparking protests from the Taiwan Caucus and many pan-green supporters, saying such move harms Taiwan’s sovereignty.

Asked about the reasons for the changes last month, the chairman of American Institute in Taiwan, Stephen Young, shrugged off the inquiries and only said there was no change to US-Taiwan relations and “the media just made a story out of the [guidance].”

In a letter dated Sept. 28, the caucus members demanded an explanation from the State Department as to why the recent changes had been made and said it was completely unacceptable for the State Department to turn a technical reminder document into a declaration that could hurt relations between the US and its good friend.

The members requested the State Department cut all wording that disparages Taiwan’s sovereignty and demanded it revert to the 2006 version of the document.
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