The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday rejected a CNN report that said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) was snubbed by US officials during a visit to New York in September.
CNN last week reported that “earlier this fall, there was a gathering on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with Taiwan’s foreign minister at Le Bernardin... multiple senior US administration officials were expected to attend, but they didn’t show up,” citing an anonymous source who claimed to have attended the gathering.
The US signaled that the no-show was simply due to over-packed schedules, but it left Taiwan “feeling defeated,” the source said.
Photo: screen grab from Taiwan AI Labs founder Ethan Tu’s Facebook
The ministry rejected the statement, saying that the activity was attended by many senior officials from various countries.
It was the first time the ministry confirmed that Lin visited New York to attend a gathering on the sidelines of the assembly, an appearance that was first revealed by Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr on social media.
The source cited in the CNN report, who said that Lin did not meet important people, was obviously not informed of what actually happened and did not attend the meeting, the ministry said, adding that it would not comment further to preserve mutual trust between Taiwan and the US.
Taiwan and the US have a solid foundation, with stable and ongoing interactions at all levels of government, the ministry said, urging people not to spread false information that would damage Taiwan-US relations or confuse the public.
Lin was invited by former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien to attend a meeting held by the Alliance for Global Security, people familiar with the matter said.
He met US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz and American Global Strategies CEO Alexander Gray during the gathering, the sources said.
Gray shared a photo taken with Lin on social media, another diplomatic source said.
The government did not disclose more details based on a mutual understanding with the US, the source added.
Citing last week’s APEC forum as an example, the source said interactions between Taiwan and the US have been stable and smooth.
Taiwan’s envoy and presidential adviser Lin Hsin-i (林信義), National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) and Minister Without Portfolio Jenni Yang (楊珍妮) talked with international leaders and officials, including those from the US, they said.
The official urged the public not to be misled by incorrect information, saying that the foundation of Taiwan-US relations has always been solid and good.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun
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