Lawmakers across party lines yesterday called for a new diplomatic strategy to curb a “domino effect” after the Dominican Republic shifted diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not alert to signs of the impending switch, such as the Caribbean nation ignoring Taipei’s request that it advocate for Taiwan’s attendance at the World Health Assembly next month as an observer, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said at a news conference in Taipei
The incident was particularly ironic considering that Taiwan this year gave the Dominican Republic 50 high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles, or Humvees, with a two-year warranty that reportedly cost NT$70 million (US$2.36 million), Lee said.
Photo: Tyrone Siu, Reuters
The Dominican Republic switching diplomatic recognition followed Panama’s cutting of official ties with Taiwan in June last year, indicating that Beijing’s move to poach Taiwan’s diplomatic allies has created a domino effect, she said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration should devise new strategies to keep up with the diplomatic challenges facing the nation instead of telling the public that it “has since received intelligence” after the nation loses a diplomatic ally, Lee said.
KMT caucus deputy secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) ascribed the incident to deteriorating cross-strait relations after the DPP became the ruling party and Premier William Lai’s (賴清德) assertion that he is a “political worker who advocates Taiwanese independence.”
Tseng urged Beijing to refrain from intervening in Taiwan’s diplomatic affairs, saying it would not benefit cross-strait exchanges and would only put a distance between peoples on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
When former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was in office, the DPP criticized Ma’s “diplomatic truce” with China as diplomatic inactivity without realizing that Taiwan’s diplomatic space hinges on a “stable and cordial” relations with China, KMT Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said.
DPP caucus secretary-general Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) expressed “regret and anger” upon learning the news, saying it is time for the government to adjust its foreign policy to allow President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and her team to focus their efforts on maximizing Taiwan’s interests in the international arena.
DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) questioned whether it is in the nation’s interests to define its diplomatic success by the number of allies it has, adding that he hoped Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) would propose new policies.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) also weighed in on the issue, saying: “China’s suppression of Taiwan is to be expected, so it is important that Taiwan’s economy and national defense be strong.”
Citing a passage from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War (孫子兵法) — “Rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive them” — Ko said that the nation cannot forever rely on the goodwill of others.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education said it is willing to help Dominican students who want to continue their studies in Taiwan.
Yang Shu-ya (楊淑雅), director-general of the ministry’s Department of International and Cross-Strait Education, said there are 91 Dominican students in Taiwan, including 21 in the Taiwan Scholarship Program.
Under the program, students from countries that are Taiwan’s diplomatic allies receive funding through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will decide whether to withdraw the scholarships to the 21 Dominican students, Yang said.
For non-allied countries, the education ministry handles aid to their students and is willing to talk to the concerned universities on behalf of those Dominican students who are receiving financial aid directly from their schools, he said.
Additional reporting by Lee I-chia, Peng Wan-hsin and CNA
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS