Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials and lawmakers yesterday urged opposition lawmakers to unfreeze diplomacy budgets, citing a lack of resources for maintaining unofficial ties with foreign nations.
Taiwan’s diplomatic outreach must be given the resources it needs to engage foreign political parties, groups and think tanks, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺) told lawmakers during a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
The lack of funding due to the opposition’s budget cuts has made it difficult for Taiwan’s representative offices to work on public relations and project a good image abroad, he added.
Photo: Taipei Times
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MOFA) policy is to keep open communication channels with different parties and factions in foreign nations to insulate Taiwanese interests from government turnover, Chen said.
By making steep slashes in the ministry’s public relations operations, diplomats are facing a severe challenge in representing the nation abroad, he said.
The cuts crippled efforts to reach out to other nations and build public support for Taiwan, Chen said.
Taiwan has a relationship with the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, he said, referring to conservative groups deemed to be close to US President Donald Trump.
DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said the opposition parties’ cuts have resulted in a negative budget for several ministry programs.
Surveys have confirmed that the US public is divided along party lines over military aid for Ukraine and the US’ role in NATO, he said.
The polarization of US parties and voters makes it urgent for Taiwan to liaise with both sides, including their voters, non-governmental groups and think tanks, Shen said.
Taiwan cannot afford to neglect voters who might change their government’s foreign policy, he said.
The American Enterprise Institute, which has long-standing ties with the ministry, had loudly protested Trump’s now-suspended plan to impose 32 percent tariffs on Taiwan, Shen said, adding that the institute’s and similar groups’ public criticisms contributed to Washington’s decision to reverse the policy.
Taiwan’s need to collaborate with foreign think tanks is underscored by the US’ erratic trade policy, he said.
Taiwan must use every tool and resource at its disposal to shape public discourse surrounding the nation to obtain bargaining chips in dealing with foreign governments, he added.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pushing for residents of Kinmen and Lienchiang counties to acquire Chinese ID cards in a bid to “blur national identities,” a source said. The efforts are part of China’s promotion of a “Kinmen-Xiamen twin-city living sphere, including a cross-strait integration pilot zone in China’s Fujian Province,” the source said. “The CCP is already treating residents of these outlying islands as Chinese citizens. It has also intensified its ‘united front’ efforts and infiltration of those islands,” the source said. “There is increasing evidence of espionage in Kinmen, particularly of Taiwanese military personnel being recruited by the
ENTERTAINERS IN CHINA: Taiwanese generally back the government being firm on infiltration and ‘united front’ work,’ the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said Most people support the government probing Taiwanese entertainers for allegedly “amplifying” the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, a survey conducted by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association showed on Friday. Public support stood at 56.4 percent for action by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Culture to enhance scrutiny on Taiwanese performers and artists who have developed careers in China while allegedly adhering to the narrative of Beijing’s propaganda that denigrates or harms Taiwanese sovereignty, the poll showed. Thirty-three percent did not support the action, it showed. The poll showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported the government’s investigation into Taiwanese who have
Left-Handed Girl (左撇子女孩), a film by Taiwanese director Tsou Shih-ching (鄒時擎) and cowritten by Oscar-winning director Sean Baker, won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution at the Cannes Critics’ Week on Wednesday. The award, which includes a 20,000 euro (US$22,656) prize, is intended to support the French release of a first or second feature film by a new director. According to Critics’ Week, the prize would go to the film’s French distributor, Le Pacte. "A melodrama full of twists and turns, Left-Handed Girl retraces the daily life of a single mother and her two daughters in Taipei, combining the irresistible charm of
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
RSS