Foreword
It is a great honor for me to present this briefing on Current Diplomatic Challenges and Actions before the Foreign Relations and National Defense Committee. Foreign relations and national defense are at the forefront of national security. Our forefathers had a saying that, “Worshipping and warfare are the only major issues for a country”. Today, this reads more like, “Foreign relations and national defense are the only major issues for a country”. This is especially true given the difficult situation Taiwan’s foreign relations face, and diplomats shoulder a particularly heavy responsibility in cautiously safeguarding national security.
This is the first time that I have reported on foreign affairs to this committee since the new Legislative Yuan system came into being. It is therefore of historic significance, and an honor for me and the entire staff of my ministry. I look forward to using this opportunity to elucidate the current diplomatic challenges and actions to the committee members and our fellow citizens.
A number of legislators put forward the excellent suggestion that I review and discuss developments in Taiwan’s foreign affairs over the course of President Chen’s eight years in office, now that his second term is almost at an end. However, I want to take a broader and more historical perspective than this affords. One of the key reasons for doing so is that a nation’s foreign policy must have a certain continuity that transcends political parties. Taiwan’s foreign relations belong neither to the blue camp nor the green camp, but rather to Taiwan’s 23 million people who seek a place on the international stage from which Taiwan can grow. To clarify my logic with an example, I would like to point out that Taiwan successfully joined the WTO in January 2002 under the name “TPKM” to become the 144th member state. This major success came about as a result of efforts that began with GATT in the 1990s, efforts that straddled two administrations. If we were to only look at the last eight years, we could well lose sight of the overall picture of Taiwan’s foreign policy.
Many of the achievements that Taiwan has made in its foreign relations over the past eight years stem from the long-term efforts of not just the government but also the people. With respect to concern over the number of diplomatic allies that Taiwan maintains, it should not be forgotten that every era is marked by its own circumstances. The 1970s and early 1980s were characterized by Taiwan’s withdrawal from the UN and the termination of Taiwan-US relations. This seriously affected our ability to keep diplomatic allies, the number of which went from a high of 59 in 1971 to a low of 21 in 1988. During the 1990s, China had yet to rise and its image had been seriously tarnished by the Tiananmen Square Incident, which was followed by international condemnation and boycotts. Taiwan’s diplomatic allies reached 31 in number during that period. Over the past eight years, however, the rise of China has increasingly affected Taiwan, and we have lost more allies than we have gained. Yet President Chen stated not long ago that he believes all past ministers of foreign affairs have done their utmost to maintain relations with Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, regardless of whether they are politically affiliated with the KMT or DPP.
I. New Challenges for Diplomacy in the 21st Century
The two major challenges facing Taiwan’s diplomacy in the 21st century are the rise of China and globalization. Our two main goals are therefore keeping up with the rapid changes that globalization brings and rising above China’s vicious repression.
Both sides of the Taiwan Strait have ceaselessly engaged in a fierce diplomatic war in the international arena over the last half century. China’s increasing might across the board has placed enormous pressure on Taiwan’s foreign relations of late, and poses serious challenges. China is using a strategy of “three wars” - psychological, legal and in the media - to carry out the so-called “three alls” policy (to take all of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, to cut off all international lifelines and to strip Taiwan of all leverage with which to negotiate with China on an equal footing) and “five goals” policy (to downgrade, marginalize and localize Taiwan, and illegitimatize its government and sovereignty). China has attempted to snuff out Taiwan’s international personality and to include TPKM under its jurisdiction. Indeed, China’s desire to utterly defeat Taiwan will in no way diminish until Taiwan is part of its territory.
In the era of globalization, governments, NGOs and the private sector need to cooperate with each other on an increasingly large number of issues. Particularly important are the issues of global warming and ecological degradation, which have awakened a sense of urgency in the international community. Environmental protection and sustainable development have become mainstream values around world. Taiwan is a democracy, and those departments involved with foreign affairs need to flexibly and effectively integrate the strengths of the private sector to deal with international affairs and to exercise soft power in response to the challenges brought by globalization.
II. Foreign Affairs Reforms
In order to cope with the above-mentioned challenges, Taiwan has made organizational restructuring, soft diplomacy and multilateral diplomacy the focus of its foreign affairs reform over the last two years.
Reform One - Organizational Restructuring
(1) Regrouping into diplomatic combat teams to increase overall combat effectiveness
Soon after I took office as Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was repositioned as a combat, rather than administrative, unit. Limited human resources were reallocated to support government administrative units in preparation for “asymmetric warfare”. The tradition of selecting the heads of foreign missions based on seniority was also broken with. Instead, talent is now selected based on the key criteria of possessing a keen fighting spirit, and an ability to be creative and innovative, irrespective of seniority. A new generation of diplomats is also being encouraged to be bilingual. Apart from traditional foreign service training (in political affairs, consular affairs and overseas Taiwanese community affairs), diplomats will also receive multi-disciplinary skills training in health and epidemic prevention, international economy and trade, environmental protection, agricultural technology, cultural exchange and so forth. We hope that diplomats with these new skill sets can punch above their weight and effectively cope with the challenges of the new era.
(2) Integrating work with the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) to raise the efficacy of foreign aid
In advanced countries around the world, departments involved with foreign affairs have incorporated foreign aid organizations as an important tool for implementing foreign policy. After careful consideration and evaluation, MOFA has followed the USAID example by appointing the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs to serve concurrently as Secretary-General of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF). This system has been in place since December last year, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs will plan foreign policy together with foreign aid work as a whole. This more professional and systematic approach will maximize the effectiveness of foreign aid resources, and will certainly help us reach our foreign policy goals.
(3) Establishing a Task Force on International Environmental Affairs to expand environmental diplomacy
Climate change caused by global warming is leading to an imminent crisis whereby the ecology is imbalanced, the four seasons are out of kilter, food supply is reduced, water stress is increased and so forth. Environmental issues in the global village in the 21st century have already become a primary security concern that needs to be resolved jointly by all members of the international community. The UK, Japan, the US, the EU and ASEAN list environmental diplomacy as a main axis for diplomatic efforts. In view of this international mainstream trend, MOFA set up a Task Force on International Environmental Affairs under the umbrella of the Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs. This division is in charge of planning major initiatives for future environmental diplomacy. It actively seeks participation in conferences and opportunities for cooperation internationally in order to fight for Taiwan’s right to speak on post-Kyoto Protocol environmental issues. The more we do in environmental diplomacy, the more respect Taiwan will earn from the international community.
Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the South Pacific, Central and South America, and South Africa are the most seriously affected by climate change and need appropriate assistance. In order to accelerate cooperation on expanding environmental protection among member states, Chinese Taipei Representative to APEC, Stan Shih, proposed the Green APEC Opportunity Initiative last September while attending the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting.
(4) Establishing offices in central, southern and eastern Taiwan to promote diplomacy by all people
MOFA has set up offices in Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Hualien to perform such consular affairs functions as processing passports and notarizing documents. However, in this democratic and pluralistic era, foreign affairs work needs to gain support from all people. We should encourage and help the public to get involved in diplomacy. With this in mind, MOFA officially established the Central, Southern and Eastern Taiwan offices in February this year, placing them in charge of conveying the concepts behind the government’s foreign affairs policies, coordinating with local media and people’s representative bodies, and assisting county governments, city governments and city councils to conduct diplomacy at the city level and host international events. In this way, diplomatic work will no longer be concentrated in northern Taiwan, and diplomacy events in both central and local governments will compliment one another.
Providing consular services makes it easier for Taiwan’s citizens to visit relatives, work, travel, study and engage in diplomatic work overseas. MOFA therefore particularly values serving the public. With respect to gaining preferential visa treatment, Taiwan has so far been granted visa-free status by 30 countries, including Japan, and a number of countries have granted Taiwan landing-visa treatment. In the future, MOFA will continue to negotiate with other countries through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, such as APEC and the WTO, in a bid to offer more convenience to those of our citizens doing business with and traveling to other countries.
Reform Two - Soft Diplomacy
In the era of globalization, the number of issues that need to be jointly solved by countries is increasing. Democratic development has helped civil society to flourish, and the role and influence of NGOs has become increasingly important. Now that Taiwan has steadily progressed towards democracy, the resources and connections with which the private sector can participate in international activities are increasing. By comparison, civil society in China is fettered by totalitarian politics and its autonomy is frail. Furthermore, China is unable to extend its blockade to Taiwan’s soft activities in the international community. These conditions provide Taiwan with a comparative advantage in promoting soft diplomacy.
Concrete actions that MOFA has taken with soft diplomacy include:
(1) Cooperating with the private sector to expand cultural diplomacy
Cultural diplomacy allows the international community to give greater to support to Taiwan by better understanding the beauty, abundance and diversity that combine to give Taiwan its cultural uniqueness. MOFA’s efforts in cultural diplomacy include sending the Taipei First Girls’ High School Honor Guard and Drum Corps to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2007, and sending Dintaifung chefs to the UK and France. Both events met with very positive feedback and helped elevate Taiwan’s image.
(2) Promoting environmental protection and energy conservation for sustainable development
Apart from increasing the quality and quantity of support with environmental protection technology, MOFA initiated ecological diplomacy to consolidate Taiwan’s diplomatic ties. It has assisted St. Lucia, St. Christopher and Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in developing ecological tourism, which has been widely applauded.
(3) Utilizing democracy as an asset to establish an alliance of values
Taiwan’s respect for the universal values of democracy and human rights is an asset which can be used to participate in the international community.
(4) Working with the medical community to strengthen medical aid
Combining Taiwan’s medical groups to promote medical diplomacy and to show a humanitarian spirit is the best way for Taiwan to come into direct contact with the peoples of our diplomatic allies and win their hearts.
(5) Encouraging communication to promote public diplomacy
By hosting panel discussions and establishing offices in central, southern and eastern Taiwan, we hope to improve communication between the public and MOFA. People are encouraged to make the best use of these offices to promote public diplomacy.
Reform Three - Multilateral Diplomacy
Taiwan’s diplomatic situation shows that it needs to bring about a breakthrough in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. In recent years, Taiwan’s identity has been cultivated by democratization and grown stronger. Against this backdrop, as Taiwan strives to fully join the international community, it must reflect mainstream public opinion as appropriate.
(1) Establishing multilateral platforms with diplomatic allies
In 2007, MOFA hosted several major international conferences, including the Sixth Summit of the Heads of States and Governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Central America and the Dominican Republic in August, the First Taiwan-African Heads of State Summit on September 9 and the Taiwan-Africa Progress Partnership Forum on the following day, and the Second Taiwan-pacific Allies Summit held in the Marshall Islands on October 12. These three summits were a great success and allowed Taiwan to use its experiences to differentiate itself from China, a country that covets natural resources, dumps cheap products and exploits laborers. It is also hoped that, through positive interaction, new progressive partnerships with Taiwan’s allies will be established, thereby ushering in new cooperative projects.
Multilateral regional platforms consolidate our relations with Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and elevate our profile in the area. This helps strengthen regional security, safeguard Taiwan’s interests in the fisheries industry and establish multilateral cooperation on an equal footing.
(2) Applying to join the WHO and the UN under the name of Taiwan for the first time
In recent years, various opinion polls have shown that the percentage of Taiwan’s people in favor of joining the World Health Organization and the United Nations has exceeded 70%. After years of discussion and consideration, the government decided to launch its bid to join the WHO and UN under the name of Taiwan for the first time. These two bids were aimed at expanding Taiwan’s international legal and press war fronts. Taiwan gained the results it expected from these two strategic bids.
After discussions with representatives of different countries, Taiwan has repeatedly re-examined Resolution 2758, uncovering the fallacy of the so-called “one China principle.” Taiwan has won the support of major countries in its protest of the UN Secretariat’s misinterpretation of the UN General Assembly’s Resolution 2758 by saying that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China. The UN Secretariat has not repeated such sentiments since then.
Taiwan’s efforts to join the WHO and the UN were extensively covered by the international press, stressing that Taiwan is a sovereign nation and not under the jurisdiction of any country. This matter was reported on or discussed in more than 2000 articles, a significant increase in number and quality compared with those in the past few years. These stories allowed the international community to better understand the feasibility of this bid and demonstrated the absurdity of the UN’s refusal of Taiwan’s application.
No matter what perspective you use, Taiwan is qualified to apply for UN membership. Consensus on joining the WHO and the UN has been reached by the people of Taiwan throughout the political spectrum and, therefore, remains the responsibility of MOFA. In the future, MOFA will continue to abide by public opinion and strive to meet the expectations of the people of Taiwan.
III. Prospects of Taiwan’s Foreign Relations
As a sovereign country, Taiwan needs to maintain its identity. By putting Taiwan’s interests first, the government can strengthen Taiwan’s bedrock survival and development. At the same time, Taiwan can take advantage of its democratic institutionalization, democratic values and humanitarian spirit, combined with its economic, technological and cultural development, to promote soft diplomacy. Based on the above two principles (maintaining Taiwan’s identity and promoting soft diplomacy), I would like to talk about the prospects of Taiwan’s foreign relations.
(1) Continuing to strengthen Taiwan-US and Taiwan-Japan relations
Taiwan-US relations are perhaps one of the most important foundations of Taiwan’s diplomatic relations. Although bilateral relations have experienced trials and tribulations politically, the foundation of our relations has remained strong. This can be seen through increased bilateral cooperation in the fields of security, national defense, counter-terrorism, science and technology, as well as greater people-to-people exchange. Even Jon Negroponte, US Deputy Secretary of State, stated during an interview last August, “Taiwan has no better friend than the United States.”
Taiwan-US relations have been impacted greatly in the last 30 years: in the 1980s, by the 817 Communiqué and the murders of Jiang Nan and Chen Wen-chen; in the 1990s, by former President Lee Teng-hui’s visit to the US and the Taiwan Strait missile crisis; and in the last eight years, by the deepening of Taiwan’s democratization and consolidation of Taiwan’s sovereignty. However, these challenges have never changed the fact that Taiwan is one of the most important strategic core partners of the United States in the Asia Pacific region that shares democratic values. The people of Taiwan should put more faith in the relations between our two countries.
Although Taiwan and Japan lack official diplomatic relations, in terms of strategic positioning in East Asia, the two countries are interdependent. In recent years, as Taiwan-Japan relations have made progress, we hope to further hasten their advancement.
(2) Changing from passively to actively striving to consolidate ties with allies while seeking to establish new diplomatic allies
MOFA is like a combat unit that needs to take the initiative in facing its counterparts. Besides making its best endeavors to consolidate relations with existing diplomatic allies, MOFA needs to adopt foreign policies and implement actions that take advantage of Taiwan’s unique qualities and expand Taiwan’s room to maneuver in the international arena.
(3) Re-adopting the “go south policy” to strengthen relations with ASEAN countries
China’s latest cancellation of preferential export tax treatments and increase in labor costs has forced Taiwanese businesses to reconsider investing in ASEAN countries. Now would be a good time for Taiwan to rekindle its “go south policy.” In recent years, Taiwan has been more discrete and, therefore, has enjoyed positive interaction with these countries. MOFA plans to establish an Association of ASEAN Relations to further strengthen its ties with these countries.
(4) Accommodating energy diplomacy to expand relations with the Middle East and North African countries
(5) Adjusting foreign relations in consideration of economic and trade interests and the need to expand in overseas markets
(6) Remaining steadfast in the effort to attain rightful status in major international organizations
(7) Insisting on sustainable environment, and making contributions to the international community by promoting our shared values of democracy, counter-terrorism and care for our fellow mankind
(8) Promoting Taiwan’s cultural and technological diplomacy
IV. Conclusion
In terms of foreign relations, Taiwan is in a difficult situation, as the rise of China will undoubtedly continue to reach new heights over the next two years. Taiwan needs to adopt a cautious approach when responding. History, however, has its own logic, development cycle and rhythm. Taiwan must maintain its economic competitive advantage, sufficient defense capabilities and presence in the international arena. If Taiwan can do this, in light of Taiwan’s solid institutional system, time is on its side. To accomplish this, the united efforts of the people of Taiwan are needed.
The international community is concerned about Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election and referendums on the United Nations. I want to take this opportunity once again to urge our friends in the international community to have confidence in the wisdom of the people of Taiwan. Over the past two decades, Taiwan gradually has realized democratization and become a successful model of democracy despite China’s military intimidation. During this quiet revolution, not a single drop of blood has been shed, and no cross-strait military conflict has erupted. This is the result of the wisdom and determination of Taiwan’s people, because political leaders need to follow the will of their people.
The past two decades have shown that the people of Taiwan have the ability and wisdom to pursue the deepening of Taiwan’s democracy and handle cross-strait relations appropriately. In the process, they actively contribute to democratization and the maintenance of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. I am convinced that the people of Taiwan will handle the issues and challenges faced by Taiwan in the future with the same spirit.
The staff of MOFA shoulders responsibility for safeguarding Taiwan’s sovereignty and the common interests of the people of Taiwan. It is our honor and our mission. For years, our colleagues at the diplomatic frontline have marched ahead fearlessly. In the future, they will continue to do their utmost to realize our goals. I am fortunate to work with the exceptionally talented diplomatic corps of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and enjoy the guidance and support of our distinguished legislators. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I want to express my utmost appreciation to the Legislative Yuan. Thank you! (E)