Having small nations as diplomatic allies is a burden for Taiwan, Foundation on Asia-Pacific Peace Studies chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) said yesterday.
Hsu’s remark came after Sao Tome and Principe on Wednesday announced that it is cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Hsu, a former chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was speaking at a seminar hosted by the foundation regarding questions over whether the Sao Tomean government’s actions will cause a cascade of diplomatic allies severing ties with Taiwan.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Any competition with China over diplomatic allies is at a distinct disadvantage, and in the end, it is up to China how many diplomatic allies we can keep, Hsu said.
We cannot do anything about it if China makes such a decision, but “the nation would very much welcome it if China attempted to take away all of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies,” Hsu said, but added that Beijing would not do such a thing.
Hsu said that having small nations as diplomatic allies is not a good thing, as they impose too much of a burden, adding that losing them “is not really important.”
Hsu said that he has lived in Taiwan his entire life and has seen how the nation gained and lost diplomatic allies over the years through international interference.
Treating an incident that is not related to the survival and development of Taiwan as a setback is not how the nation should handle its affairs, Hsu said, adding that similar incidents “have happened throughout my life” and he does not like the kind of “international situation” that Taiwan is forced into.
The real problem is not about diplomatic allies, but how the nation handles its relations with the US and China, Hsu said, adding that such issues were “matters of life and death.”
Hsu said that the nation he grew up in was constantly bickering over how to maintain its seat in the UN and whether to break ties with the US or Japan, adding that Taiwan is in a good situation in terms of international politics, and enjoys better ties with other nations than when the Republic of China (ROC) was one of the five permanent members on the UN Security Council.
China has always been hostile toward the DPP, and it is up to China to be practical and calm over cross-strait relations, Hsu said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has made it clear that her administration will not antagonize China, Hsu said, adding that the Tsai administration’s cross-strait policies was no different from the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT).
The government has agreed to treat cross-strait relations as designated in the Constitution, and it sought members of the pan-blue camp as officials in the Mainland Affairs Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation, Hsu said.
The president’s treatment of cross-strait relations is pragmatic, rational and avoids breaching China’s core interests and red lines, Hsu said, adding that it was up to China to adopt a similar attitude on cross-strait issues.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
The government has issued a deportation order for a Spanish fugitive, ordering him to leave the country within 10 days, as he is wanted by European authorities for allegedly operating a car rental scam. National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials yesterday said Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 48, had been notified that he must leave Taiwan, as he was wanted for committing serious crimes. The Spaniard has been indicted by Italian prosecutors for allegedly leading a 30 million euros (US$32.74 million) car rental scam and setting up a fraudulent company in Trento, Italy. The deportation order is based on Article 18 of
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in