There is no obligation for Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) to resign over Nicaragua switching recognition to Beijing, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) quoted President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as saying yesterday.
Wu and the diplomatic corps should not be faulted for China’s efforts to poach Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, Chang said.
The remarks came after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus convener Alex Fai (費鴻泰) earlier in the day called for Wu to “recognize when his time is due” after six nations have broken diplomatic ties with Taiwan during his time as foreign minister.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Wu started in the position on Feb. 26, 2018, with the Dominican Republic and Burkina Faso switching recognition from Taiwan to China in April and May that year and El Salvador three months later.
In 2019, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati switched recognition on Sept. 16 and 20 respectively.
It is a disgrace to the people of the Republic of China (ROC) and the country that a minister whose tenure has seen six countries sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan remains in the position, Fai said.
If Wu remains as minister, the future of the ROC is evident, Fai said.
Using an analogy of red-eye flights taxing pilots, Fai said that Wu should consider “taking a rest” after six years as head of the ministry.
Separately, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said that Nicaragua breaking ties was due to Chinese countermeasures against Taiwan’s participation in the US-hosted Summit for Democracy this week.
Lo did not elaborate on the causal relationship beyond the fact that China had not been invited to the summit.
Lo said he regretted the ending of diplomatic relations with the Central American nation and hoped that the ministry would make every effort to consolidate ties with other allies.
New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) thanked the nation’s frontline diplomatic corps for their hard work, as international diplomacy has never been an easy job.
However, the ministry should closely monitor rumors about the Vatican, Honduras and other nations with diplomatic ties with Taiwan facing pressure from Beijing, Wang said.
Additional reporting by Yang Chen-yu and CNA
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