Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Shih (史亞平) yesterday dismissed rumors that she was too close to one of former Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s (李光耀) sons as “groundless.”
“It is not true. Like all the other rumors, they are all off base,” Shih said.
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) said sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had told him that Lee once pointed his finger at Shih and it seemed that he was “enraged” at Shih or that he “blamed” her for something.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Lee was unhappy with Shih because she was too close to his youngest son, Lee Hsien Yang (李顯揚), Chang said.
Lee Hsien Yang, 55, is married with three children.
Asked to elaborate on the nature of the alleged relationship, Chang said he would like to think that the reason why Shih approached Lee Hsien Yang was for help negotiating a bilateral trade deal — the Agreement between Singapore and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Partnership (ASTEP).
Chang said he viewed the matter from a positive standpoint: that it was for the sake of the ASTEP negotiations “rather than the other way around, as rumored within the ministry.”
In response to Chang’s comments, Shih called for an end to all the rumors.
“The spread of baseless rumors not only causes harm to the parties concerned, it is also impolite to [Lee Hsien Yang],” Shih said.
“I did not have any official dealings with Mr Lee [Hsien Yang] and we had no personal friendship. You could say that I am not acquainted with him. I have made it crystal clear. There is no gray area in the matter,” Shih said.
The rumor surfaced when Chang made it public on a TV political talk show on Wednesday afternoon, at a time when the Control Yuan was struggling to convince the public about its investigation, led by Chou Yang-shan (周陽山), who said he found that Shih “damaged” Taiwan-Singapore relations because of a “dereliction of duty” when she was posted to the country.
The Control Yuan on Wednesday decided to uphold an earlier decision that the results of Chou’s investigation should remain classified to protect relations between Taiwan and Singapore, leaving questions regarding Shih’s performance in the city-state to linger.
Asked if the relationship between Shih and Lee Hsien Yang was part of his findings, Chou said he learned a lot of information during his investigation, but he did not include it all in his report.
“Unless I have evidence beyond a shadow of a doubt, I can’t include it in my report. On that [the alleged relationship], I can only say I have no comment,” Chou said.
Chou said the decision not to declassify the report was made by 16 or 17 of the 20 members of a meeting of the Committee on Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs on Wednesday.
Under fire for not being able to substantiate the charges he brought against Shih, Chou said the central part of his report was based on the daily work record kept by the representative office in Singapore and that was classified information.
Chou has also denied accusations by some KMT lawmakers that he took revenge on Shih because the representative office reportedly did not treat him very well when he was in Singapore.
People First Party Legislator Thomas Lee (李桐豪) yesterday said Chou should consider stepping down if he failed to prove that his investigation was evidence-based.
The way Chou handled the case has dragged Shih’s name through the mud and it has “deeply impaired the credibility of the Control Yuan,” Thomas Lee said.
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said the Control Yuan decided to keep the report classified because it did not dare to publish it because “the truth is there is no secret. The Control Yuan would only make itself a laughing stock if the report was made public.”
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) called for full disclosure of the truth behind Shih’s controversial tenure in Singapore, adding that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should review his personnel policy.
Full disclosure of the Control Yuan’s report on Shih would end the rumors and conspiracy theories about the case, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said.
Shih should be recognized for her efforts if she did everything she could to protect Taiwan’s national interest in Singapore, he said, adding that on the other hand, Shih should be reprimanded if there was any inappropriate conduct.
From disgraced former Executive Yuan secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世), who has been detained for alleged corruption, to Shih, Ma’s personnel decisions have jeopardized the nation’s internal affairs as well as its diplomatic relations, he added.
Additional reporting by Chris Wang
GEARING UP: An invasion would be difficult and would strain China’s forces, but it has conducted large-scale training supporting an invasion scenario, the report said China increased its military pressure on Taiwan last year and took other steps in preparation for a potential invasion, an annual report published by the US Department of Defense on Wednesday showed. “Throughout 2023, Beijing continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics against Taiwan,” the report said, which is titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2024.” The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “is preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force, if perceived as necessary by Beijing, while simultaneously deterring, delaying or denying
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION: A statement issued following a meeting between Australia and Britain reiterated support for Taiwan and opposition to change in the Taiwan Strait Canada should support the peaceful resolution of Taiwan’s destiny according to the will of Taiwanese, Canadian lawmakers said in a resolution marking the second anniversary of that nation’s Indo-Pacific strategy on Monday. The Canadian House of Commons committee on Canada-Chinese relations made the comment as part of 34 recommendations for the new edition of the strategy, adding that Ottawa should back Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, first published in October 2022, emphasized that the region’s security, trade, human rights, democracy and environmental protection would play a crucial role in shaping Canada’s future. The strategy called for Canada to deepen
QUICK LOOK: The amendments include stricter recall requirements and Constitutional Court procedures, as well as a big increase in local governments’ budgets Portions of controversial amendments to tighten requirements for recalling officials and Constitutional Court procedures were passed by opposition lawmakers yesterday following clashes between lawmakers in the morning, as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members tried to block Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators from entering the chamber. Parts of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) and Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) passed the third reading yesterday. The legislature was still voting on various amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) as of press time last night, after the session was extended to midnight. Amendments to Article 4
‘ONE BRIDGE’: The US president-elect met with Akie Abe on Dec. 15 in Florida and the two discussed a potential Taiwan-China conflict’s implications for world peace US president-elect Donald Trump has described Taiwan as “a major issue for world peace” during a meeting with Akie Abe, the widow of late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Japanese newspaper the Yomiuri Shimbun quoted sources as saying in a report yesterday. Trump met with Akie Abe on Dec. 15 at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two discussed the Russo-Ukrainian war and the situation in the Taiwan Strait. During the meeting, Trump spoke on the implications for world peace of a potential Taiwan-China conflict, which “indicated his administration’s stance of placing importance on dealing with the situation in
RSS