Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday that he made a faux pas by saying he intended to scrap a gift presented by visiting British Minister of State for Transport Susan Kramer a day earlier.
“I want to express my apology to Ms Kramer,” Ko said during a news conference.
The mayor added that he often makes inappropriate statements and promised to correct the problem.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
He added that he will soon receive diplomatic etiquette training.
Ko was asked on Monday whether he felt uncomfortable with the gift because of a taboo in Taiwanese and Chinese culture on timepieces as gifts.
After receiving a watch from Kramer, Ko said: “I can just regift it to someone or take it to a scrap metal dealer and sell it for cash.”
Kramer later on Monday issued a statement saying she was sorry and that she “had no idea a gift like this could be seen as anything other than positive.”
Separately yesterday, prior to Ko’s apology, Kramer was asked to comment on Ko’s reaction.
“I am aware that I made a cultural mistake out of lack of knowledge with the gift,” Kramer said.
In the UK, “we say time is precious, so I didn’t understand the implications here in Taiwan,” Kramer said. “Now I have learned something new.”
“It has not in any way impacted the relationship and conversation that we have with the city of Taipei; we look forward very much to constructively working together,” she added.
“Our conversation has been very constructive. We see many opportunities for future collaboration. And I could never be offended by humor,” Kramer said when pressed.
Meanwhile, Ko, who is known for his off-the-cuff remarks, drew criticism from across the political spectrum for his perceived rudeness.
Netizens said that Ko should apologize for the remarks and for embarrassing Taiwan, while Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) lambasted Ko, an independent, on Facebook, saying: “City-to-city diplomacy is critical for Taiwan; as the mayor of the capital, he should have taken greater responsibility.”
Writer Chang Ta-chuen (張大春) said on Facebook that “if Ko wants to withstand the trials during his term as mayor, he should know that what the media want to see is him getting into a fight with someone. He would be tossed away like an old shoe if he is injured or bites the dust.”
Chang added that Ko once said he scored 157 in an IQ test, adding that whether Ko can survive possible potential public relations disasters depends on whether he has the same level of emotional wisdom.
Former minister of transportation and communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) said that during the campaign period before the nine-in-one elections last year, he questioned whether Ko’s view of the world and his value system were appropriate for the then-candidate to represent the city to greet overseas guests.
“Unfortunately, it [the incident] has shown that my doubts at that time were valid,” Yeh said. “I hope Ko can learn how to manage city affairs with a down-to-earth manner, rather than affirming his own values by denying those of others.”
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,