The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday confirmed that it has entered into a contract with the Washington-based lobbying firm Barbour Griffith & Rogers to help promote US-Taiwan relations, but avoided explaining why National Security Council Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) was tasked to sign the contract.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mark Chen (
"We've commissioned [the firm] to help promote our foreign affairs and public relations," Chen said yesterday, side-stepping media inquiries as to whether the government had sought the lobbying firm's services for a specific purpose.
It is widely believed that during his presidency, former president Lee Tung-hui (李登輝) commissioned the public relations firm Cassidy and Associates to help make his visit to the US possible.
Chen made the remarks yesterday after media reports revealed that Chiou had signed a letter of agreement with Barbour Griffith & Rogers chairman Ed Rogers. In accordance with the US' Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the letter of agreement and other relevant forms were on public record at the Department of Justice.
In the past, the government has refrained from directly commissioning PR firms to promote its interests in the US, choosing instead to go through intermediaries such as the Taiwan Studies Institute. In this most recent case, Taiwan is registered with the US government under the title "Republic of China (Taiwan)."
In a letter made out to Chiou, the lobbying company writes that "Our representation will encompass providing: clear communication [with] Washington, DC; strategic counsel; and tactical planning on foreign policy matters."
Chen also said that the public relations firm would help put Taiwan in touch with select state governments. "People say this is unnecessary as relations with the US are good right now, but with foreign affairs, the more channels of communication you have, the better," Chen said.
Chen also said that the deal had been reached "under the sun," suggesting that the deal was transparent. He said that the ministry had previously attempted to procure the lobbying firm's services without success, but did not elaborate on what had triggered the firm to take on Taiwan as a client last month.
He further said that if the ministry's budget permitted and if deemed appropriate, he would not rule out commissioning other firms to perform similar services.
Barbour Griffith & Rogers has close ties with the US Republican Party. Nearly all of the firm's management team worked previously for or in conjunction with the Bush administration.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
RSS