The premier yesterday confirmed that the head of the nation's top cross-strait policymaking body has been tapped as the next de facto ambassador to the US.
Following a report yesterday in the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper), Premier Su Tseng-chang (
Lee will be transferred to Canada, Su said, adding that he had already signed the appointment documents.
Taiwan's representative office in the US was informed late on Saturday night Taiwan time by the US government that it had been notified of the appointment of Wu.
Wu yesterday said he was confident he would be able to communicate the administration's intent to the US accurately, adding that his experience in handling cross-strait relations would be helpful in his new job.
"I think I am familiar with President Chen [Shui-bian's (陳水扁)] way of thinking, and I am able to interpret his ideas easily, precisely and directly," Wu said during a press conference yesterday afternoon.
"Cross-strait affairs have been the focal point of our diplomatic work, and having an understanding in this field is quite important when it comes to foreign affairs," Wu said.
The MAC chief said that he talked to American Institute in Taiwan Director Stephen Young by telephone yesterday morning, and Young confirmed the US' acknowledgment of the appointment. Wu said that Young indicated Washington had a positive attitude about the personnel change.
Wu is the first Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member appointed as a representative to the US. Wu's predecessors, Chen Chien-jen (程建人) and Lee, are both members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Wu joined the DPP in July 2002, serving as deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office. He took over the post of council chairman in 2004.
"I think [the appointment] is meaningful for the DPP. I feel honored to able to take on this mission, although I haven't had the experience of serving as an ambassador," Wu said. "But placing national interest above everything is definitely the priority of my job."
When serving as the chief of cross-strait affairs, Wu periodically flew to the US to communicate with officials and think tanks about Taiwan's cross-strait policies.
Wu said that the president had asked him whether he would like to be a representative to the US on Feb. 15, one week after Wu visited the US. He said he had accepted the appointment after considering it for one day.
Wu said that he was the only candidate that the president had approached, but that Chen had not assigned him any tasks or given him any orders so far.
The council chief declined to talk about what he would do in the US.
"The purpose of my new mission will be clearer after I arrive in the US and talk to diplomatic coworkers there," Wu said.
Wu said that the two majors issues that the council has been negotiating with China -- opening up to Chinese tourists and direct charter flights -- would not be affect by his reassignment.
Increasing interaction between the council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been a topic that he has discussed with Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) over the past year, Wu said.
"We both agree that cross-strait affairs are the most important thing that diplomats should be proficient in," Wu said.
Predictably, politicians were split along cross-party lines over the appointment.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (
Wu had lost the objectivity he used to have when in National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations and had become a "rigid" bureaucrat and a lackey steeped in "deep [pan-]green ideology" ever since joining the council, Lin said.
KMT Legislator Su Chi (蘇起) said that the appointment, together with the president's recent personal shuffle, signified that Chen will take a radical approach to relations between Taiwan, China and the US for the remainder of his tenure.
But the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus saw the change in a positive light.
TSU caucus whip Yin Ling-ying (
Although Lee is an excellent diplomat, his party affiliation might have prevented him from properly conveying Chen's ideas to the US government, she said.
Lee, however, expressed no regrets at the decision to replace him after less than three years in the post, and said he feels relations between Taiwan and the US are much better than they were when he took over in July 2004.
In an telephone interview with the Taipei Times Lee said that he was not disappointed by change.
"I think it's a good time for me to depart. Both my wife and myself are very happy to leave this position at this juncture," Lee said en route to a flight to Dallas, where he was to meet Huang.
Lee said he felt that he accomplished one of the two major goals he set for himself when he arrived to Washington -- to improve communications with the US.
As for the second goal, restoring bilateral trust, he said there is still work to be done, adding that US-Taiwan relations were "stable"
Huang was in Dallas for a conference of Taiwanese-American businessmen. It was not clear whether his trip was timed to coincide with the announcement of Wu's appointment, but the issue is certain to be discussed between Lee and Huang during the day.
Lee thanked the staff at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office who "worked hard with me" over his term, and his wife, who "played a wonderful role as an ambassador's wife in Washington."
In other developments, speculation mounted that former council vice chairman Chen Ming-tong (
"I'm preoccupied with the forum on constitutional reform and don't have time to think about the issue," he said.
Chen Ming-tong is one of the authors of the draft of the "Second Republic" constitution that was made public yesterday.
In related news from the ministry, Kenneth Liao (廖港民), director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, will now lead the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, taking over from Andrew Hsia (夏立言), who is being transferred to India.
Kung Chung-cheng (龔中誠), deputy director of the Department of North American Affairs, will move to Canada to take over director of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan and Flora Wang
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