On Jan. 11, four former U.S. defense secretaries met at an event hosted by the New York-based National Committee on United States-China Relations in Washington, D.C. to offer their views on the future of security relations between the two powers. During the forum, the former Pentagon chiefs—Harold Brown, William Perry, William Cohen and Chuck Hagel—also touched on cross-strait ties, praising the progress achieved over the past several years.
According to Perry, who was secretary of defense from 1994 to 1997, increased economic, cultural and travel exchanges between Taiwan and mainland China have been successful in deterring cross-strait aggression. Likewise, Cohen, who held the position from 1997 to 2001, highlighted the benefits of major improvements in relations over the past eight years, such as the establishment of cross-strait flights and the fact that hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese are working in the mainland. Hagel, who served as defense secretary from 2013 to 2015, said he hopes the incoming Republic of China government will capitalize on the progress made in cross-strait relations, noting that the agreements signed between the two sides are conducive to regional stability.
President Ma Ying-jeou shakes hands with well-wishers in the Dominican Republic during a diplomatic tour in July 2015 that also included stops in Haiti and Nicaragua. (Photo by Central News Agency)
The remarks made by the former U.S. defense secretaries, according to Huang Kwei-bo (黃奎博), an associate professor in the Department of Diplomacy at National Chengchi University in Taipei, help illustrate the importance of peaceful developments in cross-strait ties. Huang is also secretary-general of the Taipei-based Association for Foreign Relations, which is dedicated to strengthening Taiwan’s links with mainland China and nations around the world.
“Cross-strait ties are closely connected to the development of Taiwan’s foreign relations. When conducting diplomatic affairs, the government must take the ‘China factor’ into consideration,” Huang emphasizes. “The viable diplomacy approach proposed by President Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九] after he took office in May 2008 is the best foreign policy option for Taiwan.”
Viable diplomacy advocates a flexible and pragmatic approach to conducting cross-strait and foreign affairs. Huang says that as a direct result of this policy, relations between Taiwan and mainland China have greatly improved, allowing Taiwan to focus its efforts on maintaining and improving ties with diplomatic allies and non-allied nations alike.
In his address to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in June last year, Ma elaborated on his administration’s foreign policy. “Prior to 2008, our relationship with mainland China had long been one of tense confrontation in which we competed for diplomatic partners. The previous administration had promoted both ‘scorched-earth diplomacy’ and what foreign media called ‘checkbook diplomacy,’ which caused us to be labeled a troublemaker,” he said.
Taiwan was invited to attend the World Health Assembly as an official observer in 2009 after an absence of 38 years. The nation has taken part in meetings of the World Health Organization’s decision-making body each year since. (Photo by Central News Agency)
According to Ma, the government’s viable diplomacy policy was designed to increase Taiwan’s international space and improve cross-strait relations. “There is a significant link between the success of viable diplomacy and cross-strait reconciliation,” the president said. “The situation across the Taiwan Strait currently is at its most stable since the two sides came under separate governance [in 1949], which demonstrates that our policy is sound and that we should continue on this path.”
Taiwan’s relations with its diplomatic allies have remained stable since the implementation of the viable diplomacy policy, aside from the severing of official ties with a single country—The Gambia—in November 2013. Huang says the change came about as a result of a personal decision by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, and should not be viewed as a failure of the government’s foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has managed to shore up trust with major partners including the U.S., Japan and the European Union (EU). Those developments have helped raise the country’s international standing, Huang says.
The robust state of Taiwan-U.S. relations was illustrated when William Burns, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, traveled to Taipei on Jan. 17. “Our low-key, surprise-free approach [to foreign relations] has restored high-level trust between Taiwan and the U.S.,” Ma said during a meeting with Burns at the Presidential Office on Jan. 18. The president noted that this healthy state of affairs is demonstrated by the increase in bilateral agreements from 90 to 149 as well as the US$20.1 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan over the past eight years. In response, Burns said the unofficial relationship between Taiwan and the U.S. “has never been better,” adding that Ma deserves a great deal of credit for strengthening the partnership.
Several Taiwanese nongovernmental organizations provided emergency relief to victims of the earthquake that struck Nepal last year. (Photo by Central News Agency)
In addition, since 2008 Taiwan has concluded 28 agreements with Japan covering a wide range of areas including customs, investment and open skies. These accords constitute 45 percent of the 61 bilateral agreements signed between the two sides over the past six decades. Meanwhile, the EU has announced or passed 30 statements or resolutions in support of Taiwan over the last eight years.
Lee Cheng-hsiu (李正修), a senior assistant research fellow in the National Security Division of the National Policy Foundation in Taipei, states that Taiwan and mainland China seem to have reached a “tacit understanding” on the development of their external relations based on mutual respect. He believes this can be attributed to Ma’s promotion of viable diplomacy.
“Given mainland China’s rise as a major economic power, many countries are concerned about its reaction when handling their relations with Taiwan. That’s the international realpolitik that Taiwan needs to face up to,” Lee notes. “That’s also why we need to maintain good relations with the mainland.”
“The policy of viable diplomacy has enabled Taiwan to stabilize cross-strait ties and overcome obstacles that the nation faces in the international community,” Lee says. “Accordingly, Taiwan has sought to pursue goals that are achievable and set aside those that are unattainable in the short term.” The country’s participation in the World Health Assembly as an official observer since 2009 and the International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly in 2013 after an absence of 38 years and 42 years, respectively, he adds, illustrates the effectiveness of the government’s policies.
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y.L. Lin (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)
Diplomatic Achievements and the Challenges Ahead
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y.L. Lin (林永樂) discusses the government’s foreign policy and diplomatic goals with the Taiwan Review.
TR: What is the Republic of China’s (ROC) foreign policy approach and how is it being enacted?
Lin: In the past, competition between Taiwan and mainland China for diplomatic recognition imposed pressure on our allies and caused concern in the international community. Hence, since 2008, our ministry has pursued a policy of viable diplomacy aimed at improving cross-strait and international relations based on the principles of autonomy, dignity, flexibility and pragmatism.
I want to clarify that the idea of a diplomatic truce refers to putting a stop to our competition with the mainland for diplomatic allies and is just one aspect of the viable diplomacy approach. The policy does not suggest inaction, as we have striven to strengthen our ties with other nations and expand our participation in the international community.
During the Ma administration, we have established new representative offices in Chennai, India; Frankfurt, Germany; Sapporo, Japan; and Surabaya, Indonesia. In addition, two of our diplomatic allies, Kiribati and St. Lucia, set up embassies in Taipei [in 2013 and 2015, respectively], and Myanmar and Papua New Guinea opened trade offices in Taipei [in June and December 2015, respectively].
TR: What results have been achieved through viable diplomacy? What obstacles does the nation still face?
Lin: By implementing this practical approach, Taiwan has made significant headway on the domestic and international fronts. The most obvious indicator is that the number of countries and territories granting ROC nationals visa-free entry or other visa privileges has increased from 54 in 2008 to 161 today. Another indicator is Taiwan’s increased global engagement. The country now enjoys formal membership in 37 international organizations and observer or other statuses in another 21.
Moreover, President Ma proposed the East China Sea Peace Initiative in August 2012 and the South China Sea Peace Initiative in May 2015, calling for concerned parties to settle disputes peacefully and cooperate in the exploration of natural resources. In line with these principles, Taiwan signed a fisheries agreement with Japan in April 2013, and by doing so resolved a 40-year dispute. We also concluded a fisheries law enforcement pact with the Philippines in November 2015. Taiwan aspires to be a peacemaker through the promotion of regional cooperation and stability.
The main challenge we confront is that mainland China continues to squeeze our international space. Still, we must do whatever we can to expand our international presence in order to safeguard our national interests and citizens’ well-being.
TR: What are your views regarding the nation’s engagement in foreign affairs?
Lin: I’ve been working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 38 years. I believe that diplomacy is the art of the possible. It is therefore essential to adopt a practical approach in order to create more opportunities. Over the years, Taiwan has delivered different types of aid including humanitarian and disaster relief to those in need based on its economic and technological expertise. The International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), for instance, has carried out various projects devoted to the development of animal husbandry, aquaculture, health care and information and communications technology in our partner nations. Taiwan also provides aid through cooperation with nongovernmental groups such as the Tzu Chi Foundation and World Vision.
The many diplomatic breakthroughs that we have achieved over the last few years are a validation of viable diplomacy and are due to the hard work and professionalism of foreign service officers. These achievements have not come easy and deserve recognition.
—interview by Kelly Her
Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw