Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday denied reports that the absence of the nation’s flag during a welcoming ceremony in Burkina Faso to attend the inauguration of Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore had broken diplomatic protocol or was the result of Chinese interference.
Wu, who attended as President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) special envoy, said that during the welcoming ceremony, Burkina Faso did not hoist the flags of the countries that had representatives attending the presidential inauguration, but the Republic of China (ROC) flag was displayed in places where he stayed and visited.
“[The national flag was hoisted] at the hotel where I stayed, in the offices I visited [such as those of the Burkinabe prime minister and president] and the center for vocational training. There is no need to question the matter,” Wu told reporters.
The Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday that the presence of Burkina Faso’s national flag at the welcoming ceremony for Wu — and the absence of the ROC flag — had raised eyebrows among some diplomatic officials who considered the practice a breach of international protocol.
Wu led an 18-member delegation to the inauguration ceremony, which was held on Monday last week. The welcoming ceremony was held on Dec. 19 upon the delegation’s arrival at Ouagadougou Airport.
Some diplomats have alleged that the Chinese government may have had something to do with this as part of attempts to make the ROC flag disappear from official occasions, the article said.
Wu denied the allegation, adding that no one from China was present at the welcoming ceremony.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman James Chang (章計平) also dismissed the article.
The flag hoisted at the welcoming ceremony was not Burkina Faso’s national flag, but rather that of the country’s honor guards, as it had some inscriptions on it, Chang said.
In addition, Chang said the welcoming ceremony was not held only for Wu, but also for guests from other countries who had arrived earlier or later than the Taiwanese delegation.
As Burkina Faso did not display the flags of the other countries present at the welcoming ceremony, they did not break diplomatic protocol, Chang said.
“This wasn’t an occasion for Burkina Faso and Taiwan only; multiple countries were involved. Every country has its way of holding welcoming ceremonies and we respect their arrangements,” Chang said.
Burkina Faso is one of four countries in Africa that maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
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