时论广场》吃快弄破碗的外交突破（方恩格 Ross Darrell Feingold）
美国白宫新冠疫情应对小组5日推文宣传美国疫苗捐赠进度，提到台湾时附上中华民国国旗，不过这则推文已遭删除。（摘自推特）
如果要在台湾的媒体报导、政治名嘴言论之中，画出最频繁使用来描述台湾外交发展所使用的词汇，「突破」（breakthrough）这个词绝对名列前茅。诸如他国现任或卸任政治人物访台、与外国政府签成的大小协议或备忘录、在他国网站上出现了中华民国国旗等新闻，在台湾都被称之为「外交突破」。
我在过去受访时已多次表示，「突破」这个词汇在国际政治场域不应该被如此滥用。国与国之间正常的交流往来互动本应属外交人员努力的工作范畴，而非特定政客个人的政治功勋。对于台湾充满挑战的外交处境而言，政府的对外政策应该是要去政党化、去政治化的，国与国之间产生的正常良好互动，不应该是特定一群人的抢功行动。
以国际政治权衡角度而言，近来在台湾被称作「外交突破」的一些事件，实在应该摘下过去自我颁发的「外交突破」显赫勋章。
首先来谈台湾最重视的外交伙伴─美国。去年11月美国大选后，传出坎贝尔（Kurt Campbell）可能基于他对于亚洲政策的了解而加入拜登政府，当时在台湾就出现了一些欢欣鼓舞的声音：坎贝尔与一些蔡政府涉外官员关系良好，如某报新闻标题所写「坎贝尔与蔡英文有『老交情』」，台美关系强化合作似乎指日可待。后来坎贝尔的确如传言上任了美国白宫国安会印太事务协调官一要职，然而他却在上周公开重申美国不支持台湾独立。
同样发生在最近几天，白宫的新冠肺炎应变小组在推特上发了一则推文，列出了接收疫苗的国家，其中也出现了中华民国国旗。然而这条推文不久后即被删除。紧接着美国国务院又发了一则推文声称：「美国将成为世界疫苗库。将会接收到美国疫苗的国家包括了瓜地马拉、乌拉圭、巴拉圭、玻利维亚、阿富汗和越南等国。」令人遗憾的是，这份名单上不但没有台湾，还包括了几个非民主国家。回顾前次台湾政府在收到美国与日本捐赠疫苗时所发出的官方声明中特别强调：美国和日本向台湾捐赠疫苗是共享民主、自由等基本价值的体现。与美国国务院这则推文内容相形之下更显讽刺。
此外，近日美国公告了在美国台协会台北办事处新处长由孙晓雅（Sandra Oudkrik）女士担任。台湾的外交部身为东道主，自然对此热烈表示欢迎，并再度公告孙晓雅女士实为台湾的老朋友。但为何不见媒体以「外交突破」来描述这次的人事调动？即使孙晓雅女士的背景是一名资深的职业外交官，她的外交资历无庸置疑，但她此次就职纯粹是美国的外交人事调动，并非透由拜登总统的政治任命。若派驻当地使节是由拜登总统直接任命，便能展现拜登政府对于台湾的重视，可惜这次没有发生。
或许台湾政府能派一位亲拜登版本的口译哥来突破台美关系，以尽释台湾政府与川普政府的前嫌、亲近新任拜登政府。
另一个重要的外交发展是即将离任的德国在台协会处长王子陶（Thomas Prinz）接受中央通讯社采访中，重申了他之前在脸书上所写的内容，即台湾从德国的BNT公司采购疫苗，是台湾与BNT之间的商业行为，签订内容取决于契约双方。
王子陶并在访问中指出，台湾在洽购BNT疫苗的过程中有中国厂商涉入因素，（注：由于中国上海复星医药拥有德国BNT疫苗的大中华区代理权），但他并未说明中国对于台湾购买BNT疫苗的过程是否施加阻挠。笔者发现之后在中央社的英文版报导刊出：「BioNTech encountered problems because of the China's involvement.」（由于「中国」的介入，BioNTech面临了问题）其中把原本的「中国厂商」的厂商两字省略，之后又将文中内容再更改回「中国厂商」。这样的媒体报导方式对于台湾与德国之间的外交关系并无帮助。
除了台美关系之外，最近与台湾相关的重要的国际事件，是海地总统摩依士（Jovenel Moise）被暗杀。摩依士曾于2018年以国事访问台湾，当时台湾政府以隆重军礼欢迎，并大大强调两国共同的民主价值。但事实上，摩依士远离民主价值的执政方式导致当地民众群起抗议。而暗杀摩依士的嫌犯进入中华民国驻海地使馆，随后在内被捕，不但让台湾在当地身陷尴尬形象，也显露了台湾驻外使馆严重的安全失误。借此呼吁外交部能够严正审查其全球海外驻点与使馆人员的环境安全。
与台湾仍保持建交关系的一些国家，包括史瓦帝尼、瓜地马拉、宏都拉斯和尼加拉瓜等国家，进来陆续出现了当局逐渐偏离民主价值的情况。虽然这些国家的内政问题并非台湾的责任，但或许台湾当局应该要在此时好好检视，该否向这些国家当局提供援助？并且该如何向之传播民主信念与价值？
最近与台湾的外交相关议题还包括了印尼、菲律宾、泰国和越南驻台湾代表处都发出公开声明，对于在台湾工作的该国国民缺乏疫苗可施打表示担忧。同时间在亚洲地区即将举行的多边军事演习，台湾未在其中。此外，台湾在香港和澳门两地的驻地领事服务暂停，对贸易和旅客的影响与解决方案仍在悬滞中。
这一连串的外交挫折能让台湾学习到什么？最近我学到一句台湾俚语叫做「吃快弄破碗」，我想回送这句话给台湾的外交景象。在一个国家的对外发展中，有着起起落落是很正常的，台湾应该放慢脚步、避免追求看似绚烂的「外交突破」，或许真的能让台湾在外交上能有突破。
原文：
Taiwan’s Non-Breakthrough Period of Diplomacy
By Ross Darrell Feingold
Former Asia Chairman Republicans Abroad
Those of us who observe Taiwan’s foreign policy and the pronouncements of certain politicians and pundits are accustomed to the use of the phrase “breakthrough” to describe developments in Taiwan’s foreign policy. Events described as a “breakthrough” might be the visit to Taiwan of foreign elected politicians or government officials an agreement or memorandum of understanding with a foreign national or local government or the appearance of the Republic of China flag on a foreign government or multilateral agency website.
I have frequently in my own media commentary decried the use of this phrase to describe such developments. Normal interaction with foreign countries should not be mis-labeled as breakthroughs. This denigrates the day-to-day efforts of Taiwan’s diplomats for whom such outcomes are part of their work and unnecessarily injects an attempt by politicians to take political credit for such developments. For a country with Taiwan’s diplomatic challenges good foreign policy outcomes should be nonpartisan and not politicized.
In recent days several developments in Taiwan’s foreign policy are unlikely to be labeled by the usual politicians and pundits as breakthroughs.
Taiwan’s most important diplomatic partner the United States took several actions that were not breakthroughs. Following the US election last November and when there was indications that Kurt Campbell would join the Biden Administration in some capacity related to Asia policy some in Taiwan rushed to remind the public that Campbell has a long and positive relationship with persons in Taiwan’s government including President Tsai Ing-wen. Yet this did not stop Campell who is the Biden Administration’s National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific from reiterating at a public forum this past week that the United States does not support Taiwan’s independence. Also in recent days the White House COVID-19 Response Team deleted a tweet that listed vaccine donor recipient countries which originally included a Republic of China flag. This tweet was subsequently deleted and the State Department subsequently tweeted that the U.S. will be the arsenal of vaccines for the world with donor recipients such as Guatemala Uruguay Paraguay Bolivia Afghanistan and Vietnam listed. Not only was Taiwan omitted from this list but the list also includes countries that have weak or lack democracy which once again shows how inaccurate it is for Taiwan government officials to claim that US and Japan vaccine donations to Taiwan are related to democracies acting together.
Finally the United States announced a new Taipei Office director for the American Institute in Taiwan Sandra Oudkrik. Not surprisingly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the appointment and called Oudkrik a long time friend of Taiwan. Yet no one called the appointment a breakthrough. Why not? Perhaps because Oudkirk who is certainly qualified for the position is a career foreign service officer rather than a political appointee who has a personal relationship with President Biden. The failure to appoint a political appointee to this post is a significant lost opportunity for Taiwan as a political appointee would demonstrate to China how important Taiwan is to the Biden Administration.
Perhaps to ensure such negative developments do not re-occur Taiwan should send to its representative office in Washington DC a political division director who is as close to the Biden Administration as the recently departed Vincent Chao (口译哥) was to the Trump Administration.
Another significant foreign policy development was the interview the outgoing Thomas Prinz director general of German Institute Taipei gave to Taiwan’s government run Central News Agency. In the interview Prinz reiterated what he earlier wrote on Facebook that Taiwan’s purchase of vaccines from BNT is a commercial matter between BNT and Taiwan. Prinz noted the reality that there is a Chinese manufacturer involved (as BNT gave Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical the distribution rights for Taiwan) but he did not state that China is blocking Taiwan’s purchase of BNT vaccines. The original English version of the Central News Agency was written as “Taiwan’s bid to procure vaccines from BioNTech encountered problems “because of the Chinese involvement.”” omitting the word manufacturer. This significantly changed the meaning of what Prinz said and the Central News Agency later corrected the English language report to read “Taiwan’s bid to procure vaccines from BioNTech encountered problems “because of the Chinese company’s involvement.””. The impact of this incident on Taiwan-Germany relations remains to be seen.
Also in recent days Jovenel Moïse Haiti’s president was assassinated. Moïse previously visited Taiwan in 2018 with all the trappings of a state visit and honors at which shared democratic values were emphasized. As it turns out Moïse’s lack of commitment to democratic values had led to public protests. The entry into the Republic of China embassy in Haiti of assassination suspects where they were subsequently arrested is both an embarrassment and serious security failure which will hopefully prompt the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review security arrangements at its overseas posts worldwide. In recent weeks developments in other countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan including Eswatini Guatemala Honduras and Nicaragua are indicative of these country’s lack of adherence to democratic values. Although Taiwan is not responsible for these country’s internal problems it is a reminder that Taiwan should be honest about why it provides aid to these countries and avoid claims about spreading democracy.
Other recent diplomatic developments include the letter issued by the representative offices in Taiwan of Indonesia the Philippines Thailand and Vietnam issued a public statement expressing their concern over the lack of vaccinations for their nationals who work in Taiwan. Recent and upcoming multilateral military exercises in Asia exclude Taiwan. Taiwan’s ability to provide consular and other services in Hong Kong and Macau is in flux with the effect on trade and individual travelers yet to be determined.
Ups and downs in the course of a country’s diplomacy are normal. For Taiwan to have some setbacks in a short period of time is not cause for alarm. In fact it simply makes Taiwan a normal country. A realization of this and an avoidance of irrational exuberance over short term positive diplomatic developments can be a breakthrough for Taiwan’s foreign policy.