A remark from Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) that it would be acceptable for Taiwan to have no diplomatic allies might lead to misunderstandings and hurt allies’ feelings, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Ko said that he cared less about the number of diplomatic allies than about the substance of diplomatic relations in an interview on the TK Studio podcast released on Wednesday.
Taiwan enjoys good relations with Japan and the US, with whom it has no formal relations, he said.
Photo: CNA
“Diplomatic allies are a myth” and Taiwan should let nature take its course, he said, adding that he would not make a conscious effort to increase the number of diplomatic allies.
Asked if it would be fine for Taiwan to have no diplomatic allies, Ko replied: “Yes, that is my attitude.”
Taiwan having a bad relationship with China was what prompted it to poach Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and suppress the nation on the international stage, he said.
It is China’s stance that “everything is negotiable” if Taiwan and China have a friendly relationship, he said, adding that building a strained relationship with Beijing is the problem with the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) China policies.
Meanwhile, he underlined that “Taiwan must return to the international community,” especially when participating in international economic organizations.
He has been in regular contact with representatives from the US, EU and Japan, he said.
Regarding his vision for the armed forces, Ko said he wished to make them trusted and respected by the public; modernize military management, national defense equipment and weapons, and build resilient forces.
If elected, he said he would not change the national security team in the first half to one year, as it would be “dangerous” to change everything on the first day at the job.
Ko said that Taiwan should mainly rely on its volunteer forces.
“The compulsory military is not necessary if the voluntary military could cover” needs, he said.
“The worse cross-strait relations are, the more national defense preparations would be required,” he said, adding that he insisted on holding the Taipei-Shanghai twin-city forum in 2019 to help ease cross-strait tensions.
There is no conflict between consolidating substantive relations with diplomatic allies and bolstering relations with non-allied countries, ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said, adding that the ministry strives to achieve both.
Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have been supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations by speaking out for the nation in the international arena, which is very important, he said.
The ministry is grateful to the nation’s allies for showing moral courage in supporting Taiwan, he said.
Ko’s remark might hurt the feelings of these countries and cause misunderstandings, he said.
DPP Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) yesterday said that Ko’s remark underestimated the diplomatic personnel who are doing their best on the front line, adding that the government has never neglected efforts concerning diplomatic allies, non-allied countries, or economic and trade diplomacy.
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