Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday hailed the planned establishment of a representative office in Provence, France, as a “diplomatic breakthrough” and a result of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) effective diplomatic policies.
Su made the comments at a ceremony at the Executive Yuan in Taipei to confer prizes to government workers who last year performed well in case mediation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday announced the establishment of the office in Aix-en-Provence in southern France.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Taiwanese can see how Tsai has made important diplomatic breakthroughs in places such as Guam and France, despite Chinese oppression, Su said.
The ministry last month announced that would reopen its representative office in Guam, citing the growing strategic importance of the Pacific region and a strong Taiwan-US partnership.
Taiwan’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have also garnered international praise, Su said.
While the People’s Republic of China failed to honor the Sino-British Joint Declaration it signed with the UK over Hong Kong, Taiwan’s dedication to democracy and human rights is also garnering positive international attention, Su said.
Su credited Tsai’s “superb leadership” and “Taiwanese solidarity” for the achievements.
Regarding a dispute over a completion date for a third terminal at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Su said that the central government is working with all parties to ensure that obstacles are removed and to ensure completion of the project.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and Taoyuan International Airport Corp have sought a delay to the completion date for the runway to 2030, which Minister Without Portfolio Wu Tse-cheng (吳澤成) turned down.
Wu said that the corporation and the MOTC should try to complete the project on time and only ask for a delay if they cannot.
Media reports said that the dispute hints at a split between the policies of the central and local governments, while a Taoyuan City councilor said that the project’s success would pave the way for a 2024 presidential run by Su or Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦).
Reporters asked Su what he thought of former New Power Party (NPP) executive chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) saying in a leaked recording that “President Tsai would have been very jittery if I had been at the presidential election debate podium.”
Tsai has received popular support from every sector of society, Su said, adding that the landslide results of January’s presidential and legislative elections were evidence that people are at ease with her at the helm.
The recording, which has been dated to October last year and was made public on Sunday, was made while the NPP was mulling whether to nominate a presidential candidate or support Tsai.
The NPP is facing controversy over the recording, in which Huang apparently is heard berating independent Miaoli County Councilor Tseng Wen-hsueh (曾玟學), who was a member of the party before announcing on Sunday that he was leaving it.
NPP caucus convener Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) yesterday said that he intended to report the case to the police, but did not answer telephone calls from reporters.
Regardless of who made the unsanctioned recording at a private function, they were trying to foster distrust within the party by releasing only parts of it along with doctored photographs, Chiu wrote on Facebook.
The act was a blatant move to influence the election for the NPP’s decisionmaking committee and sought to create rifts in the party, he wrote.
Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei
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