Beware of Turning Diplomacy Inside Out

Beware of Turning Diplomacy Inside Out
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
March 9, 2012

Summary: Cross-Strait relations have stabilized in recent years. Cross-Strait diplomatic confrontation abroad has also moderated. And yet our government has encountered obstacles in the appointment of representatives to several usually friendly nations. Our relationships with them have stagnated. What does this "inside out" turn of events mean? Has a problem arisen within our diplomatic hierarchy? The question is one President Ma must take seriously.

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Cross-Strait relations have stabilized in recent years. Cross-Strait diplomatic confrontation abroad has also moderated. And yet our government has encountered obstacles in the appointment of representatives to several usually friendly nations. Our relationships with them have stagnated. What does this "inside out" turn of events mean? Has a problem arisen within our diplomatic hierarchy? The question is one President Ma must take seriously.

ROC Representative to Singapore Vanessa Shih stepped on a landmine in Taipei/Singapore relations. As a result she was recalled. Only yesterday did Singapore finally approve the appointment of Hsieh Fa-ta as her successor. Prior to this, ROC Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu led a delegation to Singapore. Green Camp legislators, in contravention of bilateral confidentiality agreements, recklessly revealed this fact. Bilateral relations suffered yet another blow. At the same time, ROC Representative to Japan John Feng has retired. Successor Shen Ssu-tsun does not speak Japanese well and is not knowledgeable about Japan. This has also invited criticism.

Vanessa Shi was Ma Ying-jeou's personally appointed representative to Singapore. But she could not win the trust of the Singapore government. Does Singapore hold a grudge against President Ma? Perhaps not. But bilateral frictions have persisted for several months. Lien Chan was commissioned to attend the APEC Summit and act as go-between. The hope was that he could communicate with former National Security Council Secretary-General Ting Mou-shi before visiting Singapore. But he was turned down. From this we can see that Singapore's displeasure was hardly trivial. Our candidates for Representative to Singapore were belatedly approved. The Taipei/Singapore economic partnership agreement was delayed for nearly two years. There may well be a deeper reason. The Ma administration's response may well be tardy.

Vanessa Shi is a trusted diplomat born in the 1950's. Her recall was more than a personal setback. It was a setback for every diplomat of her generation. Consider the controversy over Shen Ssu-tsun. He may be a qualified career diplomat. But Japan is a country with special cultural characteristics. It is very different from the Czech Republic or Canada. A representative who lacks knowledge about Japan will inevitably appear inadequate. President Ma may underscore his support for Shen Ssu-tsun by offering a direct line to himself. But Vanessa Shi also had a direct line to Ma. Nevertheless she still stepped on a landmine. Clearly stable diplomatic relations depend more on day to day vigilance than on a diplomat's relationship to a president.

The administration could not find a knowledgeable Representative to Japan, This represents more than an inability to pick qualified talent. This represents the emptiness of the diplomatic talent pool. This includes Representative to the United States Jason Yuan, He is 70 years old and about to retire. Where will we find a qualified successor? This is another thorny issue for the Ma administration. Especially given the U.S. beef imports controversy, TIFA, arms sales, and other issues currently on hold. These increase the difficulty of choosing a representative. New personnel reluctantly assigned to these positions may not be up to the task. Inviting experienced veterans to return will only inspire resentment among those in line for promotion.

This gap in succession is a side effect of two changes in the nation's ruling party. So far no effective solution has been found. Simply put, the Chen Shui-bian regime refused to swear allegiance to the Republic of China during its eight year reign, This shock to the system marginalized professional diplomats. During these eight years, ignorant amateurs ordered about and interfered with knowledgeable professionals. They disrupted the promotion of professional diplomats. Their refusal to swear allegiance to the Republic of China created a rupture in the system, leading to a massive brain drain. The Ma administration was unable to remedy this situation during its first four-year term. Cross-Strait relations were being mended. Diplomatic relations were neglected. They changed from a state of confrontation to a state of truce. They fell apart, Some overseas stations were unable to formulate new operational principles. As a result morale plummeted and discipline was lost.

Consider the most obvious example. In recent years overseas stations experienced frequent lapses in discipline, and even scandals relating to personal conduct. These have inflicted serious damage to the Republic of China's national image. Last year the ROC Representative to Fiji, Chin Ji-hsing was involved in an illicit affair. He is also suspected of misusing public funds. Subsequently the ROC Representive to Kansas Liu Shan-shan was suspected of abusing her domestic staff. She was arrested in the United States and must stand trial. Recently, ROC Representative to South Africa, First Secretary Lu Ching-yang, alleged persecution by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the disbursement of public funds, She threatened to seek political asylum in South Africa. These incidents of illicit affairs, abuse of foreign domestic staff, and political asylum scandals, reveal Ministry of Foreign Affairs mismanagegment. They also reveal a personal ethical crisis among diplomats. This is an even more serious problem than the lack of diplomatic talent,

The relationship between Taipei and Singapore has changed. Faultlines have disrupted the personnel succession in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomats posted abroad have been repeatedly involved in scandals. These reveal the loose screws in the diplomatic machinery. They reveal a deeper crisis in national allegiance and personal ethics. We would like to offer President Ma a suggestion. Cross-Strait relations are undergoing a thaw. But multi-lateral diplomacy must not be ignored as a consequence. We have won visa-free entry to over a hundred different countries. But we cannot ignore the cultivation of long term diplomatic relations. This series of "inside out" events is a warning sign.

小心外交陣線外弛內張問題
【聯合報╱社論】
2012.03.09 01:52 am

近年兩岸關係穩定，兩岸在全球的外交交鋒也轉趨緩和；在此之際，我國派駐幾個傳統友好國家的代表卻同時傳出異動調整不順暢，乃至關係停滯的問題。這種「外弛內張」的現象，究竟外交體系出了什麼問題，馬總統恐不能掉以輕心。

駐星代表史亞平因踩到台星關係紅線遭調回，繼任人選等候星國的同意已經多時，直到昨天才同意由謝發達接任。在此之前，國防部長高華柱率團訪星的消息遭綠營立委在違反雙方保密協定下輕率曝光，對雙方關係則更雪上加霜。與此同時，駐日代表馮寄台退休，接替的沈斯淳則因日語程度及缺乏「知日」背景，亦招致外界議論。

史亞平是馬英九欽點的駐星代表，她無法獲得新加坡政府的信賴，也許不必上綱為星國與馬總統的芥蒂。但雙邊摩擦已長達數月，其間更曾委託連戰利用出席APEC居間傳話，希望由國安會前祕書長丁懋時赴星溝通，卻遭婉拒；由此可見，新加坡的不悅恐非芝麻小事。我方提名的新代表遲遲始獲對方同意，包括台星洽簽經濟夥伴協議延擱了近兩年，恐有更深層的原因，馬政府的應對恐嫌遲緩。

史亞平是五年級外交官中受到重用的代表人物，她的鎩羽而歸，不僅是她個人的挫折，也是中生代外交官試煉的挫敗。再看沈斯淳的爭議，他雖有「專業外交官」的資歷，但出使日本這樣文化獨特的國家，畢竟與其派駐捷克和加拿大的經驗截然不同；缺乏知日背景，總是讓人感到不足。儘管馬總統以「直達天聽」為沈斯淳加持，但反觀史亞平的「天聽」卻弄到台星關係亮起紅燈，可見外交關係的穩定更在乎平日的步步為營，而不在乎外交官的個人關係。

駐日代表無法尋求適當的知日人士出任，若不是政府擇才的偏失，那恐怕就是外交人才庫的空虛問題了。包括駐美代表袁健生，即將屆滿七十歲退休，如何尋覓其接任人選，目前也是馬政府的棘手問題。尤其在美牛問題衝擊下，ＴＩＦＡ、軍售等議題擱置不前，在在增加了選擇使者的難度。勉強派出新人，恐不足以膺重任；再請老將出馬，又增加體系升遷阻塞的怨懟。

這種青黃不接的現象，其實是台灣兩度政黨輪替所帶來的副作用，迄今無法有效解決。簡單地說，陳水扁執政的八年，因國家認同的歧異，對外交體系造成了強烈的排擠作用及震盪效應。八年之中，在外行領導及政治干擾下，不僅讓外交官的升遷和價值出現了異化和斷裂，也造成不少人才流失；但這個現象，卻未能在馬政府的首任四年適度修補或調整。相反的，由於兩岸關係的修和，外交陣線從先前的對峙狀態變成休兵狀態，不僅顯得鬆懈，有些地方甚至因無法產生新的工作方針，而失去士氣和紀律。

最明顯的例子，近年駐外單位頻頻爆出風紀問題，甚至私德醜聞，已嚴重影響台灣的國家形象。去年中我駐斐濟大使秦日新在駐地爆發不倫戀，同時涉嫌濫用公款；其後我駐堪薩斯代表處長劉姍姍涉嫌虐傭，更在美國遭逮捕受審；近日，更傳出駐南非一等祕書呂清揚因代墊公款問題而謂遭外交部打壓，一度揚言要向南非尋求「政治庇護」。這一連串不倫戀、苛虐外傭及政治庇護醜聞，一方面顯示外交部在管理上的失當，另方面也暴露了外交官員缺乏私德的倫理危機；這比起外交人才的捉襟見肘，危險性恐怕猶有過之。

從台星關係的生變，到外交的人才斷層，到駐外人員的醜聞事件頻傳，都反映當前外交體系管理螺絲鬆弛，且埋藏著更深刻的認同和倫理危機。我們要提醒馬總統注意的是：在兩岸關係走向和解之際，仍不可輕忽台灣多邊外交之平衡；在為免簽證國家破百而自得之餘，不能忘記更深層的外交耕耘。這一連串「外弛內張」的現象，已經發出了嚴重的警訊。