US diplomatic staff are required to abide by strict guidelines when making contact with Taiwanese authorities and representative offices “on all occasions through the year” and “especially in the weeks prior to the Oct. 10” anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China (ROC), a cable released by WikiLeaks on Tuesday said.
The cable, dated Sept. 5, 2008, showed that then-US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice issued a directive to overseas diplomatic missions detailing the guidelines, which the cable said did not apply to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
The cable was meant to ensure that the unofficial relations between the US and Taiwan, which began in 1979 when the US recognized the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, were upheld.
Representatives from Taiwan “should be treated with appropriate courtesy and respect within the framework of the US’ unofficial relations with the Island,” the cable said.
US government officials should conduct the same substantive range of business with their Taiwanese counterparts as they would with representatives from countries with which the US has diplomatic relations, it said.
The US Department of State allowed its embassy personnel to accept invitations to private functions hosted by Taiwanese representatives either in restaurants or in their homes, “but not in residences of Taiwan’s principal representatives or ambassadors,” it said.
US embassy and consulate personnel could host Taiwanese representatives at private functions in restaurants or in their homes, but not in US chief of mission residences, while Taiwanese representatives could not be invited to US functions of an official nature or to functions held on official US premises, it said.
The cable said that “any function on or around Oct. 10” should be considered an official function regardless of its venue or stated nature.
US executive branch officials are permitted to attend a separate reception sponsored by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US (TECRO) specifically for US government officials that normally takes place in mid-October, because it is distinct from the normal Double Ten National Day function, it said.
US government representatives are not allowed to correspond directly with authorities from Taiwan, but rather should send letters through AIT-TECRO channels, it said.
The cable said that individuals from Taiwan contracted by US executive branch officials are generally referred to by name, title and city, without use of an international nomenclature.
All US executive branch personnel who plan to travel to Taiwan for work-related reasons must have prior consent from the state department’s Office of Taiwan before requesting travel clearance from the AIT and Taipei, it said.
The state department said that the US government does not refer to Taiwan as “Republic of China,” “The Republic of China on Taiwan,” or a country. The US government refers to Taiwan simply as “Taiwan.”
In keeping with the unofficial nature of the US’ relations with Taiwan and the fact that the US does not recognize Taiwan as an independent, sovereign state, “military representatives of the authorities on Taiwan should not wear their uniforms while in the US or on US premises overseas” and the “ROC” flag should not be displayed at US government premises, it said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS