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
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
HAN KUANG: The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers said The armed forces would for the first time test new rules of engagement (ROE) at this month’s annual Han Kuang exercises, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers told a news conference in Taipei. ROE cards would be issued to select combat troops to test their ability to function without tight control, they said. The most recent edition of the rules was published last year, they said. One of the cards’ two templates identifies enemy targets that soldiers