The government should conduct a “global check” to see whether Taiwan’s representative offices in nations that it has no official ties with are affected by the Nigerian government’s demand that Taiwan move its representative office from the capital, former representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) said yesterday.
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) National Policy Foundation held a forum on US president-elect Donald Trump’s Asia-Pacific strategies and their possible effect on Taiwan in Taipei yesterday, during which the relationship between Taiwan, the US and China was also discussed.
Shen said that the Nigerian government’s announcement, made at a joint news conference with visiting Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅), demanding Taiwan move its trade office from Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, is “serious, as it might indicate that Beijing has now started to exert pressure not only on Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and its participation in the international organizations, but also on nations that Taiwan does not have official diplomatic relations with.”
Photo: CNA
The former diplomat said it might be possible that Beijing has increased its efforts in reaction to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) telephone call with Trump last month.
He said the government should check whether Taiwan’s representative offices around the world have faced similar affronts, “which is more important than issuing a statement castigating China.”
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), who is the convener of the foundation’s national security division, said that the situation is still opaque, as Nigeria yesterday issued a statement denying media reports about cutting ties with Taiwan and saying that “the correct position is that the official relationship between Taiwan and Nigeria has been at the level of trade representation and this has not changed from what it used to be.”
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should refrain from making strong, rash statements and be discreet in its responses, “which should be issued after deliberation.”
However, if the demand was true, “it means that Beijing has opened another front” and some nations with whom Taiwan has non-diplomatic ties might “join the team of blackmailers,” Lin said, referring to allies that might threaten to switch recognition to Beijing if their financial demands are not met.
Taiwan should not assume that an anti-China Trump administration would necessarily “make our lives better,” Lin said. “The Tsai administration’s mistake so far has been believing that Taiwan can avoid Chinese pressure by cozying up to the US and Japan, while the Nigeria incident has shown that they could do nothing to prevent it.”
Shen said that Taiwan “should know what it wants” rather than “swallow whatever the US demands from it,” adding that instead of supposing that the US would be friendly toward Taiwan, it should prove itself to be an ally worthy of respect and friendship.
“We can share the US’ overseas responsibilities as per the Global Cooperation and Training Framework we signed with the US in June, 2015, according to which we will help train common friends and share the US’ load. For example, how do we prevent an Ebola outbreak in the Asia-Pacific region? The prevention center was set up in Tainan, where we contributed money and personnel for a training program,” Shen said, adding Taiwan’s trade surplus vis-a-vis China could also appeal to Trump.
“After all, who understands China better than we do?” Shen said.
Speaking at the forum, former National Security Bureau director Tsai Der-sheng (蔡得勝) said China’s team for handling Taiwan affairs is expected to be replaced after the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will face a situation where familiarity and mutual trust would be wanting.
“I suggest the two sides upgrade the [so-called] ‘1992 consensus,’ which [Beijing] has to admit is plagued with controversy and opposition, to a ‘Tsai-Xi consensus,’ as the ‘1992 consensus’ has played its role in cementing cross-strait peace, but needs improvement,” he said, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means. Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted to making up the term in 2000.
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