The nation’s foreign service is to battle on in the face China’s diplomatic offensive, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) said yesterday, as he received the nation’s returning ambassador to Panama after the Central American country switched its alliance to Beijing last week.
“The current state of developments has clearly demonstrated that Beijing has decided to go on the offense, and in the face of this the only choice every member of the foreign service has is to face this battle head-on,” he said on arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to receive former ambassador to Panama Miguel Tsao (曹立傑).
“In my view, all members of the foreign service have continued to work hard and battle on, despite the difficult situation,” Lee said. “I have come [to the airport] to represent the ministry in supporting and affirming Tsao, as well as to express consolation for some injustices to which he has been subjected.”
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Panama broke off relations less than one month after Tsao was sent to the nation as an ambassador and before he was able to present his credentials, leading to accusations by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators that he had been sent as a scapegoat to protect former ambassador Jose Maria Liu (劉德立), who was promoted to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The loss of a second ally, after Sao Tome and Principe cut ties with Taiwan in December last year, has also renewed calls within the pan-green camp for Lee’s resignation.
Lee has served in multiple DPP administrations, but has a pan-blue background.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
“Under these difficult circumstances, as long as our president believes that I can still do something for the diplomacy of the Republic of China, that is my unshirkable duty; I am duty-bound not to turn away,” he said yesterday.
Tsao presented Lee with the Republic of China flag which had flown over the nation’s embassy, choking up briefly as he greeted the minister.
“Minister, I did not accomplish the mission you assigned and our flag has come down. However, I brought it back because we in the foreign service will continue to work hard for our nation’s honor and dignity,” he said, adding that he would “never forget” the lowering of the flag and expressing confidence that it would be raised again.
Foreign service members had continued to fight to prevent the breaking off of relations until 10 minutes before Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela’s televised announcement, he said, adding that he had not had “any hesitation” in accepting the ambassadorial post in January because it was his “dream” and “battlefield.”
Meanwhile, reports emerged yesterday that Panama has demanded that the nation’s embassy be dismantled within 30 days, rather than the two to three months proposed by the nation’s diplomatic representatives.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said that discussions on dismantling the embassy would continue, adding that appropriate measures would be taken to protect the nation’s foreign property.
The arrangement of relations and handling of unfinished projects would also be left to future bilateral talks, the ministry said, adding that “now is not the time to consider” establishing an alternative representative office in the country.
Additional reporting by Chu Pei-hsiung and Lu Yi-hsuan
FIVE-YEAR WINDOW? A defense institute CEO said a timeline for a potential Chinese invasion was based on expected ‘tough measures’ when Xi Jinping seeks a new term Most Taiwanese are willing to defend the nation against a Chinese attack, but the majority believe Beijing is unlikely to invade within the next five years, a poll showed yesterday. The poll carried out last month was commissioned by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a Taipei-based think tank, and released ahead of Double Ten National Day today, when President William Lai (賴清德) is to deliver a speech. China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of war games in the past two years. CIA Director William Burns last year said that Chinese President Xi Jinping
REACTION TO LAI: A former US official said William Lai took a step toward stability with his National Day speech and the question was how Beijing would respond US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday warned China against taking any “provocative” action on Taiwan after Beijing’s reaction to President William Lai’s (賴清德) speech on Double Ten National Day on Thursday. Blinken, speaking in Laos after an ASEAN East Asia Summit, called the speech by Lai, in which he vowed to “resist annexation,” a “regular exercise.” “China should not use it in any fashion as a pretext for provocative actions,” Blinken told reporters. “On the contrary, we want to reinforce — and many other countries want to reinforce — the imperative of preserving the status quo, and neither party taking any
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that China has “no right to represent Taiwan,” but stressed that the nation was willing to work with Beijing on issues of mutual interest. “The Republic of China has already put down roots in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” Lai said in his first Double Ten National Day address outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. “And the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China [PRC] are not subordinate to each other.” “The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said at the event marking the 113th National Day of
RISK REMAINS: An official said that with the US presidential elections so close, it is unclear if China would hold war games or keep its reaction to angry words The Ministry of National Defense said it was “on alert” as it detected a Chinese aircraft carrier group to Taiwan’s south yesterday amid concerns in Taiwan about the possibility of a new round of Chinese war games. The ministry said in a statement that a Chinese navy group led by the carrier Liaoning had entered waters near the Bashi Channel, which connects the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean and separates Taiwan from the Philippines. It said the carrier group was expected to enter the Western Pacific. The military is keeping a close watch on developments and “exercising an
RSS