The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebutted a report in yesterday’s Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) alleging that Taiwan’s representative to Indonesia was forced to leave a promotional event in October quietly through the back door after the Chinese ambassador threatened to boycott the event if the Taiwanese delegation stayed.
Quoting Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), who claimed to have heard the news first-hand from Taiwan’s representative to Indonesia, Timothy Yang (楊進添), the report said Yang was invited by the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to attend a promotional event for orchids, but was asked to leave because the Chinese ambassador refused to appear at the same venue as the Taiwanese diplomat.
Tsai said such incidents proved that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) so-called “diplomatic truce” with Beijing was useless and not at all reciprocated by Beijing.
Acting spokesman James Chang (章計平), however, said the report was false and that Yang was able to attend the entire event.
Chang said that prior to the event, Yang was scheduled to be seated on the right-hand side of the aisle as a distinguished guest. However, the Chinese delegation complained that the right-hand side was reserved for members of the diplomatic corps whose countries enjoy official diplomatic relations with Indonesia and that Yang should therefore be moved.
Refusing to disclose the manner in which the Chinese protested, Chang said the Chinese simply “said that the arrangement [for Yang’s seating] was inappropriate.”
Yang was eventually asked to move to the left-hand side of the aisle and was seated with other important guests and stayed throughout the event.
Chang said the event took place in October, only five months after Ma came into office. The incident should therefore not be used to disparage the effectiveness of Ma’s truce, he said, adding that the public should look forward to forging a better relation with China.
Asked for comment, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) criticized the government’s diplomatic strategy, saying that the “diplomatic truce” had turned into “diplomatic humiliation.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
RSS