The greater crisis for Taiwan in the diplomatic arena would be diminished international space rather than a loss of diplomatic allies if no “common basis” exists between both sides of the Taiwan Strait, former minister of foreign affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) said.
Ou was referring to the so-called “1992 consensus” that president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has refused to recognize.
China’s recent re-establishment of diplomatic relations with the Gambia is a clear “signal” for the potential crisis of Taiwan’s international presence, Ou said.
Ou, who served as minister of foreign affairs in President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration from 2008 to 2009, said he believes that the loss of the Gambia as a diplomatic ally was not a failure of Ma’s modus vivendi diplomacy approach, because the two sides of the Taiwan Strait had not robbed each other of diplomatic allies over the past eight years.
Also, while the Gambia in 2013 unilaterally announced its decision to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan, China did not re-establishe official ties with the African nation until recently, he said.
It is clear that China chose this moment to re-establish diplomatic ties, Ou said, suggesting that the move is a warning for the incoming DPP administration.
Asked if the China-Gambia case would trigger a ripple effect, Ou said that he believes China would cease its diplomatic truce with Taiwan if there is no “common basis” between the two sides, referring to the “1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus,” adopted by Ma for his cross-strait policy, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Robbing diplomatic allies was just something that caused “hurt feelings,” but policymakers should recognize that Beijing’s blocking of Taiwan’s international space will be the “true crisis.”
With its political and economic power, China has enough influence to stop the international society from developing substantial relations with Taiwan, Ou said.
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
RSS