The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday started a two-week seminar on "People's Diplomacy" (
The meeting is part of President Chen Shui-bian's (
"While our country maintains formal ties with just 29 countries and has limited participation in inter-governmental organizations, we, however, have taken part in nearly 1,000 NGOs," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao (
Tien said the vitality of Taiwan's private sector was an integral part of the official effort to extend Taiwan's external relations.
In view of the bottlenecks Taipei has faced in exploring state-to-state relations due to interference from Beijing, diplomacy carried out through private channels is of vital importance in establishing ties with the outside world, Tien said.
As NGO activity has spread to every corner of the globe, including Taiwanese NGOs, seasoned NGO practitioners and academics invited to the seminar have a lot to teach participants, Tien said.
Tien also stressed that while diplomacy was viewed in the past as exclusively the role of the government, it should be a task carried out by the private sector as well.
"Diplomacy should become the responsibility and obligation of everybody," he said.
Participants had mixed views on the seminar, with some voicing their aspirations to grasp foreign policy initiatives put forward by Chen's administration, with others saying that such a program should have had been held long time ago.
"I am curious about how the new government's foreign policy initiative is different from the previous administration's," said Hsu Hang-sheng (
While admitting after the seminar that he wouldn't take any concrete action to help break Taiwan's diplomatic impasse, Hsu said the program can at least "instill some concepts" in his mind that can be of use in the future.
"I want to understand ways of elevating Taiwan's international status, and perhaps I can put into practice these ideas when I get the chance to," said Hsu.
Lin Shih-chia (
"MOFA officials tended to have a certain pride in the past in saying that diplomacy should be carried out by professional diplomats alone, but the reality was to the contrary sometimes. In many cases, it is Taiwan's NGOs that have entered into the international arena that official delegates have been forbidden access to," Lin said.
Similar seminars will be held next year, said Wei Wu-lien (
To further realize the president's idea of "people's diplomacy," MOFA proposed to the Executive Yuan last month to expand the existing foreign service institute into a fully fledged unit to help train professional diplomats and members of the public in foreign affairs, Wei said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS