China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 8, 2016
Executive Summary: When Tsai Ing-wen was elected president, she issued the DPP three words of advice: "Humility, humility, and more humility”. Sad to say, the DPP has failed to practice humility in either domestic or international affairs. Instead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made a mockery of the term. Preserving ROC diplomatic achievements is not easy. We would remind President Tsai and the DPP government president to exercise caution. Do not treat such matters of importance as child's play!
Full Text Below:
Our diplomatic plight is well known. Even observer status or associate member status in international organizations is difficult to obtain. We lack diplomatic relations with nearly all the world's major nations. It is all we can do to maintain unofficial relations and economic and trade exchanges. The government and the private sector, working together and doing its utmost, may be able to maintain the status quo and preserve our existing diplomatic arrangements. But the new government is not content with our existing diplomatic arrangements. In the absence of a consensus, the new government is doing its utmost to change them. The risk is great. Opposition parties and the public have criticized the new government's moves. But they have remained on the sidelines and allowed the new government to make the attempt.
Recently however, a string of diplomatic debacles have shocked, disappointed, and alarmed concerned parties. The new government's ambitions exceed its abilities. It approaches problems rashly. It revels in special privilege. It is gradually losing peoples' hearts and minds. The consequences are spreading from internal affairs to foreign affairs, and will eventually lead to diplomatic disaster.
The most outrageous diplomatic debacle was the arrest of Chiang Chun-nan, our new Representative to Singapore, for drunk driving. Singapore is one of the ROC's most important allies. The two nations have never enjoyed formal diplomatic relations. But in our interactions with either the Mainland or with Southeast Asian countries, Singapore has long played a key role. Such a diplomatic post requires the best possible representative. It requires someone who understands the importance of diplomacy. Such a position must not be viewed as mere political patronage.
Chiang Chun-nan is a veteran journalist. He once served as deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council. His analyses and commentaries on international relations and politics have long stood out. That much is indisputable. But he lacks diplomatic connections. Singapore requires flexibility and communications abilty. Is Chiang truly qualified? Even before his appointment, he was arrested for drunk driving. For a diplomat, this is no trivial matter. Singapore and the ROC both detest drunk driving. In Singapore the offense is punishable by caning. But on Taiwan, military personnel, civil servants, and public school teachers are usually given a demerit and transferred. Chiang Chun-nan was arrested for drunk driving in Singapore. What sort of impression did that convey? The answer is self-evident.
Worse still, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee had the gall to argue that local Singapore newspapers claimed that the Singaporean government failed to comment on the incident. Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs judge the political situation based on local newspaper reports? Does diplomacy involve waiting for the other party to explicitly voice its dissatisfaction before we make a decision? The new government is treating international diplomacy as if it were a children's game. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should confirm the Singaporean government's response through diplomatic channels. Only then should it issue a public statement. Only that is prudent. Only then can the public trust statements issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The second most outrageous diplomatic incident took place in the Legislative Yuan. Su Chia-chuan led a delegation to Japan, the first since taking office. He sought to promote goodwill between lawmakers from Taiwan and Japan. But the media revealed a problem. Su failed to distinguish between public and private interests, and exhibited unbridled greed. Japan is an important ally of the ROC, second only to the United States. It is also a pillar of the new government's foreign policy. Leave aside the merits of this policy for the moment. Since the new government has adopted this policy, politicians' exchanges with Japan should be conducted with care. The Japanese are extremely fastidious. They pay close attention to etiquette. Their diplomacy affairs involves even shrewder calculations. Legislative Speaker Su led the new government's first delegation to Japan. The DPP should have paid strict attention to Japanese concerns. It should have instilled Japanese trust the DPP and a willingness to treat the DPP as a strategic partner.
But Su Chia-chuan's delegation to Japan violated diplomatic protocol, by taking family members along. He also violated protocol for official trips. He revealed the DPP legislators' frivolousness, negligence, and lack of discipline. The legislators argued that their relatives and friends paid their own way. But relatives and friends affected the official visit. They received VIP treatment that should have been reserved for diplomatic personnel. They had the red carpet rolled out before them. This failure to distingush between public and private matters, gave grave offense. Legislators brought entire families to official functions. They failed to grasp the most basic rules of etiquette. When Overseas Chinese hosted banquets for legislative delegations, the DPP was even more ignorant. Many brought entire families along with them. Did they really want to embarrass the host, by forcing him to make clear that non-officials and family members were not included? Do our legislators have any sense of propriety?
During this debacle, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission failed to properly advise legislators. They even pulled strings, and urged Overseas Chinese to include non-officials and family members. How was this perceived by the public? That should be self-evident. They treated such matters as child's play. Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh actually returned to Taiwan in order to deal with DPP party elections. DPP Legislator Su Chih-fen actually gained entry to Vietnam on a tourist visa in order to promote Taiwan's tourism industry, straining relations between Taiwan and Vietnam. These too were diplomatic debacles that treated such matters as child's play.
Diplomacy is realpolitik. For the ROC, diplomacy is about us seeking favors from others, not others seeking favors from us. That said, diplomacy does not mean we must grovel. As long as we conduct our diplomacy with care, in a reasonable manner, we will be respected. Alas, our Representative to Singapore's drunk driving, our legislative delegation's failure to distinguish between public and private matters during its visit to Japan, as well Frank Hsieh and Su Chih-fen's gaffes, reveal only crudity, negligence, and carelessness.
When Tsai Ing-wen was elected president, she issued the DPP three words of advice: "Humility, humility, and more humility”. Sad to say, the DPP has failed to practice humility in either domestic or international affairs. Instead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made a mockery of the term. Preserving ROC diplomatic achievements is not easy. We would remind President Tsai and the DPP government president to exercise caution. Do not treat such matters of importance as child's play!
兒戲外交 蔡政府何曾謙卑
2016/8/8 中國時報
我國外交處境艱難人人皆知，就算要以觀察員而非正式會員身分參與國際組織，都不易爭取，更不要說我們跟世界主要國家幾乎都沒有邦交關係，只能維持非官方與經貿交流關係。在限制條件下，政府與民間如果能夠攜手合作、全力以赴，或許尚可維持現狀、堅守既有外交成果。但新政府不以現有外交成果為滿足，在國人沒有共識的前提下極力鋪陳外交布局。其中風險極大，反對黨、輿論雖偶有批評，但對新政府仍保持一定觀望態度，讓新政府有機會一試。
然而，最近接連傳出幾起離譜的外交新聞事件，卻讓所有關心台灣外交新局的人感到詫異、失望，甚至憂心新政府眼高手低、遇事輕率、耍特權，逐漸失去民心的現象與惡果會不會從內政蔓延到外交，進一步造成外交崩盤。
離譜外交新聞事件之首，是新任駐新加坡代表江春男酒駕被逮。新加坡是台灣最重要的友邦之一，彼此雖從無正式邦交，但不論在兩岸或台灣與東南亞國家的互動，新加坡一向扮演關鍵的角色。對如此重要的外交據點，絕對要安排最具代表性、重要性且深諳外交手腕的人士出任代表，絕不能當成酬庸。
江春男是資深媒體人，曾任國安會副祕書長，對政治及國際關係的分析及評論一向有獨到之處，這一點無庸置疑。然而，他與外交圈淵源不深，駐新加坡需要超柔軟的身段與八面玲瓏的溝通能力，他是否適任已不無疑問，在就任前夕又發生酒駕被捕事件，這當然不是外交小事。要知道，新加坡與台灣都對酒駕深惡痛絕，新加坡甚至祭出鞭刑，而台灣的軍公教人員如果酒駕，通常只有記過、調職。在這種背景下，酒駕被逮的江春男派駐新加坡，觀感如何，不問可知。
離譜的是，外交部長李大維竟然表示：當地報紙說新加坡政府沒有評論。難道外交部都是依據報紙研判當地政情？難道外交工作要等到對方明確表達不滿，我們才要做決策？這根本就是兒戲！外交部應透過外交管道確認新加坡政府的回應，然後再對外發言，才是審慎的作為，人民才會信賴外交部的發言。
第二件離譜的外交事件出在立法院，蘇嘉全院長上任後首次率團赴日訪問，希望促進台、日國會議員親善，卻被媒體爆出公私不分、吃相難看的新聞。由於日本是台灣僅次於美國的重要友邦，更是新政府新外交策略的支柱，暫不論此策略的是非得失，新政府既有此一策略，政治人物與日本交往當然應該極為慎重。日本人做事仔細、重視禮節，外交事務更是計算精明。蘇院長首次率團訪日，也應該展現民進黨嚴謹、認真、重視日本的一面，讓日本對民進黨產生信賴感，願意以民進黨為戰略合作夥伴才是。
但蘇嘉全率領的國會訪問團，不但違反外交禮儀攜眷同行，公務行程中也多有缺席，展露了民進黨立委輕率、隨意、沒有紀律感的醜陋面。立委們辯稱親友是自費隨行，但請問立委，這些親友沒有影響公務行程嗎？沒有享受駐外人員的飯店安排、交通接送等服務嗎？這就是公私不分，就是失禮！攜家帶眷出席僑宴，更是連最基本的生活禮儀都不懂了。僑界設宴款待國會訪問團成員行之有年，以前有多少非訪問團的立委會攜家帶眷出席？難道真要東道主開口婉拒非訪問團成員及眷屬出席宴會，我們的立委才能知所進退？
過程當中，外交部及僑委會不但沒有給立委們應有的建議，反而還居中牽線，建議僑界邀請非訪問團成員的立委甚至帶眷屬們一同赴宴。觀感如何，不問可知。這當然是兒戲！駐日代表謝長廷日前因為黨內選舉而回台操盤，民進黨立委蘇治芬以觀光簽證去越南從事非觀光活動，造成台、越關係的困擾，這些也都是形同兒戲的離譜行徑。
外交是現實的場域。不容諱言，台灣外交基本態勢是我們有求於人，而不是他人有求於我。即使如此，台灣從事外交工作也不必卑躬屈膝，只要不卑不亢，謹慎從事，自然會受到尊敬。然而，檢視最近發生的駐新加坡代表酒駕與國會訪日團公私不分等新聞，以及謝長廷與蘇治芬的行為，卻只見草莽、輕忽與大意。
蔡英文總統在當選時，曾經給民進黨公職「謙卑、謙卑、再謙卑」指令，這不僅要落實在內政事務，更必須落實在外交領域。只是，就外交部實際作為而言，謙卑二字已成反諷。台灣外交成果守成不易，提醒蔡總統及民進黨政府，務必認真面對，千萬不可兒戲！
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