In response to Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan's (唐家璇) scolding of a reporter for using the term "Communist China," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Tzu-dan (吳子丹) said yesterday that Tang has always suffered from a "serious problem" with language.
"I feel so sorry for this," said Wu, while explaining to lawmakers the government's decision not to attend the APEC leader's summit. "However, it is ridiculous for a Foreign Minister to act like this at an international event."
"`Communist China' has been a term we've used to refer to the Beijing government for decades. It is a term that most people use. We won't say that it is synonymous for the Chinese Communists or China because the Beijing government never made any formal announcement to confirm it. But, it is obvious that Mr. Tang didn't realize the actual definition of the phrase before he so rudely scolded the lady reporter at the press conference," added Wu.
Tang corrected a PowerTV reporter for using the term "Communist China" -- which he labeled a throwback to the Cold War -- in her question at a press conference during the APEC leader's summit last week. He said that "Communist China" is now "a phrase relegated to history. Everybody knows that there is only one China in the world which is the People's Republic of China."
Wu also said that Tang's statement is untrue and inaccurate because the Chinese Communists still exist.
"If they don't like it, maybe the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should consider calling them the PRC directly" said DPP Legislator Parris Chang (
"The Chinese Government did not follow the rules and send out an official invitation to us," said Wu. "In fact, they just xeroxed an invitation from another country and sent it to us without an addressee. This is extremely rude."
New Party Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (
"If they don't send us an official invitation, then we won't have to assign anyone to the summit or let them know who our official representative is," said Lai. "I think this is what we should do when they fail to show us the proper amount of respect."
Lin Chong-pin (林中斌), vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, who also presented a report to the committee, indicated that the Chinese Government is hoping to improve its poor relationship with the US.
"China always tries to ally with the US against Taiwan," said Lin. "For instance, the Chinese Government officially showed its supports toward the US on Sept. 12, the day after the terrorist attack on New York, while many of the Chinese people were `celebrating' the attack because they hate Americans."
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