The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced at midnight on Monday that the US government had formally approved the appointment of King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) as the nation’s representative to Washington.
A long-term confidant of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), King was appointed to the position in late September, replacing Jason Yuan (袁健生), who returned to Taiwan early last month to lead the National Security Council.
King is expected to arrive in the US at the end of this month or early next month, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) told reporters yesterday.
Taipei was notified of Washington’s approval of King’s designation on Friday last week, the ministry said, adding that Washington asked the Executive Yuan on Monday to forward the information to the Presidential Office to complete the appointment paperwork.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃), chairperson of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, said King should brief the committee before taking up his post in the US.
The ministry has yet to agree to the request.
“It has not been settled yet whether King should brief the legislature before he takes up his post. King’s willingness need to be respected. From the ministry’s point of view, we hope the committee will schedule the meeting sometime after King takes office, because by then he will have a better understanding of Taiwan-US relationships,” Lin said.
Lin said the ministry was glad the US gave its approval shortly after the US presidential election and dismissed comments that the waiting period was “inordinately long” or that Taipei had committed a faux pas by announcing King’s appointment before securing Washington’s approval.
“It’s normal procedure,” Lin said.
It takes some time for each country to consult with the US about its ambassadorial appointments because the US Department of State and the White House are involved in the process, Lin said.
King, 56, is a journalism graduate from National Chengchi University and has a doctorate in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. He was also a visiting scholar at the Washington-based think tank Brookings Institution.
Additional reporting by CNA
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
RSS