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Asia-PacificSeptember 3 2006

Interview: Accent on Partnerships

In the face of intensifying pressure on Taiwan’s external relations from a rising China, as shown by the August 6 break in ties with oil-rich Chad, Foreign Minister James Huang shares his views about the country’s external strategy with Dennis Engbarth.
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Q How has the loss of seven former diplomatic allies in the past six years, including Chad last month, affected Taiwan’s external position?

A Taiwan’s diplomatic position has undoubtedly been affected by China’s rise and the fiercer pressure exerted on our allies by Beijing. But the number of diplomatic allies is only one aspect of Taiwan’s external relations. Taiwan has 121 non-official overseas missions even though we have only 24 formal diplomatic allies.

We do not need to be obsessed with numbers, but a sovereign country does need to have a certain degree of normal diplomatic relations so we will not allow this number to be pushed too low. We will do our best to consolidate existing relationships and strive for every opportunity to make new friends.

Q Will such defence include reliance on ‘cheque book diplomacy’?

A All ties with our diplomatic allies are based on open and transparent co-operation plans, in which we provide assistance in fields such as agricultural development, medicine and health, infrastructure and computer education. The fact that Taiwan has become a household name in these allied countries shows that our relations are based on transparent co-operation.

Q Was there any special significance to losing Chad?

A Switches back and forth are common in the diplomatic competition between Taiwan and China, but the break in ties between Chad and Taiwan was timed for August 6, the day that [Taiwan’s] Premier Su Tseng-chang was scheduled to depart to attend the third inaugural ceremony for Chad President Idriss Déby.

This action marked a deliberate insult to the Taiwanese and has sparked a backlash among our people, and will not benefit cross-strait relations.

While our government has not made a final decision on whether to directly use the name of ‘Taiwan’ to apply for UN membership in response to strong voices for such a strategy, I can guarantee that after the Chad insult, the domestic demand to use ‘Taiwan’ in applying to enter the UN has become stronger.

Q In the wake of the Chad incident, will you conduct a review of Taiwan’s external strategy?

A We have been conducting such a review over the past six months and will soon issue a new diplomatic strategy for Taiwan in the 21st century.

This strategy will be based on the concept of comprehensive co-operative relationships. In the global village, Taiwan has many advantages in the fields of democracy, human rights, high technology and information industries (including e-government), and humanitarian assistance. In areas such as the Middle East, Taiwan’s strength in the petrochemical industry can also be important.

Our weaknesses are in the spheres of politics and diplomacy because we are facing a terrible rival, namely the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and it is very difficult for us to engage in a direct frontal competition with Beijing. But we must manifest the potential of our weaker national force and influence to the greatest possible degree to compensate for our weakness in diplomatic affairs.

Q What do you think about the proposal by opposition Kuomintang chairman Ma Ying-jeou that Taipei should talk directly with Beijing over Taiwan’s role in international organisations?

A Under what conditions could mainland China agree to make such a concession? Only if we abandon sovereignty. Beijing may be willing to make arrangements for international participation if we abandon sovereignty, but such participation will be the same type as with Hong Kong. Hong Kong also participated in international organisations and had overseas offices before July 1997, but afterwards its overseas offices and international organisation delegates were grouped under the Chinese umbrella.

Q Will Taiwan’s efforts in presidential diplomacy or other external policy work be affected by the sharp decline in [Taiwan’s] President Chen Shui-bian’s approval ratings?

A We believe external affairs work should not be affected by domestic political changes because all parties should work to uphold the national interest. Unless Taiwan abandons sovereignty, China will not cease to suppress Taiwan’s diplomatic space and this will not change, regardless of which party is in power.

The uncertain domestic political environment undoubtedly has had some influence, but I personally feel that there has not been much impact so far. After all, the president represents the country, and not himself as an individual, on his foreign diplomatic missions.

Q How has Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Bank and the IMF affected Taiwan’s role in international monetary affairs?

A We hope to participate in the World Bank and the IMF’s work, but the political reality is that this is not possible now.

Nevertheless, we have promoted substantive economic and monetary relations in the world community and we hope we can make more contributions through pragmatic channels. For example, we have contributed to loan programmes to support local enterprises in central Asia and eastern Europe through the European Regional Development Fund.

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