Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee’s (李大維) remarks that ties with some diplomatic allies are facing a crisis do not refer to any specific nations, but are rather a reiteration of Taipei’s diplomatic predicament and the ministry’s long-standing goals, ministry spokeswoman Eleanor Wang (王珮玲) said yesterday.
Wang said a nation’s ties with its allies are pivotal to its survival and development, particularly to a nation’s sovereignty and the consolidation of its personality.
“Our nation is facing a special situation, which is why the ministry constantly faces challenges,” Wang told a routine news conference.
Echoing comments by Lee at the legislature in Taipei, Wang said the nation’s diplomatic personnel do not have the right to be pessimistic, and must persist in their endeavors to fortify the nation’s ties with its allies and develop substantial relationships with partner nations.
“I believe Lee’s remarks were simply a reiteration of the aforementioned stance and do not suggest that ties with any particular diplomatic ally are on the brink of crisis,” Wang said.
Wang was referring to comments made by Lee on Monday at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, in response to questions from a Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker.
Lee answered “not quite” when asked whether Taipei’s ties with all of its 22 diplomatic allies were stable, acknowledging that there were some crises, but said he was willing to brief lawmakers on such matters privately.
Wang downplayed questions of how the ministry should make diplomatic breakthroughs amid pressure from China, which suspended cross-strait communication between the Mainland Affairs Council and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, due to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) refusal to recognize the so-called “1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted that he made up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“Because of the nation’s special international situation, our diplomatic efforts constantly face challenges. There is not one moment when we can let our guard down,” Wang said.
Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Chen Chun-shen (陳俊賢) said that Lee’s scheduled attendance at a routine bilateral meeting with his counterpart in Burkina Faso, a diplomatic ally, in September does not suggest unstable ties.
“The minister going to Africa does not mean there is a problem with [our diplomatic allies] there,” Chen said.
Regarding relations with Sao Tome and Principe, which was rated by Chen as “yellow” in terms of stability in March, Chen said there have been no major changes or signs of a deterioration in ties.
The ministry would continue to keep close tabs on the situation, particularly after the Sao Tome and Principe presidential election on July 17, Chen said.
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