The US Department of State appears to be growing increasingly upset about the flying of the Republic of China (ROC) flag at a New Year’s Day ceremony at the Twin Oaks Estate in Washington last week.
“I think the issue is that it’s inconsistent with the spirit of our policy,” State Department spokesperson Jan Psaki said on Tuesday.
It was the second time this week that Psaki had condemned the incident at her daily press briefing.
On Monday, she said that raising the ROC flag at Twin Oaks — the historic residence of Taiwan’s representative in Washington — was “not consistent” with US policy.
However, when asked about Taipei’s reaction to her remarks on Tuesday, she went further, saying that flying the ROC flag “violated” a previous agreement and that the US was “disappointed.”
There is continuing confusion over just how Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) informed Washington about the flag-raising ceremony, and exactly when he passed on information.
It is thought to have been the first time that Taiwan’s flag has been raised above Twin Oaks since the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing 36 years ago.
However, several sources now say that national flags were on display in October last year during the Double Ten National Day reception at Twin Oaks and that US officials in attendance did not complain.
Psaki seemed to be prepared for further questions on the issue as the Tuesday news conference got under way.
She was asked to comment on reports that Taipei had reached an “understanding” with Washington after the flag had been raised.
“I think I would just reiterate that it’s inconsistent with our policy and ‘not notified in advance’ means you didn’t know about it in advance, which seems consistent with what you just said,” Psaki said.
Asked to clarify whether Taiwan was prohibited from raising the flag at the representative’s residence, Psaki said: “The issue is that it’s inconsistent with the spirit of our policy and it’s violated our long-standing understanding on the conduct of our unofficial relations. I’m not sure if there was a previous incident to speak of.”
Psaki said that any questions about complaints from China about the raising of the ROC flag in Washington would have to be addressed to Beijing.
Reporters asked if the US flag was raised above US government offices in Taipei.
“US officials in Taipei and Washington are in discussions with Taiwan authorities about the matter,” Psaki said. “ I don’t have any other specifics for you.”
Pressed about future display of the US flag in Taipei, Psaki said: “I just don’t have anything to predict for you at this point. If I have something more to offer, I’m happy to share it. I’m not sure that I will at this point, because we’re still discussing with them.”
Asked what message she wanted to send to Taipei, Psaki said: “I think the message is what we’ve been conveying, which is that we’re disappointed with the action. The flag-raising ceremony violated our long-standing understanding on the conduct of our unofficial relations. We have a robust set of cultural relations, but we do not have diplomatic relations. And we’ll continue to discuss this with the proper officials.”
A reporter said that Shen told a news conference in Taipei that he did not need permission to raise the flag at a private ceremony at Twin Oaks.
“Well, as I stated, it’s a representative compound; it’s not a private home,” Psaki said. “And I think I made clear what our views are, so I don’t have anything more to add.”
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS