时论广场》检视台湾九月份的外交成绩单（方恩格Ross Darrell Feingold）

外交部政务次长田中光代表外交部在桃园国际机场迎接美议员团。

不少人认为台湾在9月交出了一张漂亮的外交成绩单：美国国会两党代表团访台、立陶宛在台北设了办事处、驻日代表谢长廷与前立法院院长王金平及台日关系协会会长苏嘉全受邀参加安倍晋三国葬、台湾驻英国代表受到「特别邀请」为伊丽莎白女王辞世签名吊唁、欧洲议会通过决议呼吁加强对台关系、「对华政策跨国议会联盟」发表公报表达对台支持、美国参议院通过《台湾政策法》、美国总统拜登表示美军将保卫台湾、美国和加拿大海军联合航行通过台湾海峡、台湾的外交盟友在联合国大会上替台湾发声音。

在这看似一连串辉煌的外交事件之下，台湾的国际地位是否真的有了重大进展？英文有个说法：「break its arm patting itself on the back」，字面释义就是一个人拍自己的肩膀来赞赏自己，结果拍到自己手断了。就上述这些看似外交功绩的事件而言，台湾很有可能是帮自己拍手结果拍到手断，就外交上所达到的实质效益来看，以下一一检视。

首先，由民主党众议员莫菲率团的国会访问团紧接着裴洛西来台，但由于该团的成员在美国对台政策上的参与度并不特出，近期难以在美国政坛带来任何「明星效应」、为美国对台政策做出巨大改变。

驻立陶宛台湾代表处成立的一年后，驻台北立陶宛经贸代表处终于也在台北成立了。然而相较于驻立陶宛台湾代表处（The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania），驻台北立陶宛经贸代表处（Lithuanian Trade Representative Office in Taipei）是驻台北（而非驻台湾），并多了「经贸」（trade）一词，看似避嫌了不少政治意涵，或许立陶宛这么做对中国会比较好交代。

日本政府将于本周举行的安倍国葬，总统府宣布将由台湾日本关系协会会长苏嘉全、立法院前院长王金平及驻日代表谢长廷代表台湾出席。鉴于其他国家的出席代表，如美国副总统贺锦丽、印度总理莫迪、澳大利亚总理阿尔巴尼斯等出席者，台湾的出席层级难说是什么外交突破。

台湾驻英代表虽然「特别受邀」签了伊丽莎白女王的吊唁书，但放眼其他国家，多由国家派出代表出席女王葬礼，台湾并未受邀。在一中政策之下，他们邀请的是中国国家副主席王岐山代表出席英国女王的葬礼。

欧洲议会于2021年10月通过了「对台政治关系与合作」报告，但这份报告并未受到欧洲执行委员会太大的重视与回响。

由于会议地点在华府，外交部长无法参加「对华政策跨国议会联盟（IPAC）」。

美参院外委会通过《台湾政策法》，台美关系看似在外交、军事领域有所提升，但政治方面将原先受瞩的台湾驻美代表处更名规定修改成为「建议性质」，并删除美国在台协会台北处长任命须透过参议案同意的规定。

拜登捍卫台湾的言论掀起热议，然而白宫一再宣称美国官方的对台政策始终不变。

加拿大政府则是始终与台湾保持距离，未做出任何高调的亲台举动。

场景拉至联合国，中国外长王毅在联合国大会期间会见美国国务卿布林肯和乌克兰外长德库贝拉时，台湾却仍然只能在场外举行年度取暖大会，不得其门而入。

在一中架构之下，台湾所经历的外交挫败，还包括了印度总理莫迪出席上海合作组织峰会时，与中国谈定在争议的中印边界沿线撤军，这表明中印两国可能在短期内缓和紧张局势。

放眼南韩，8月时韩国总统尹锡悦对于美国众议院议长裴洛西造访首尔时避不见面，却会见了中国人大常委会栗战书。南韩明显对与台美合作抱持冷漠态度，却愿意与中方展开更多对话。

而在泰国，国家安全局局长陈明通的曼谷行程被泄密，让台湾的外交与国安系统遭受了莫大羞辱。

至于在美洲，美国100多个非政府组织要求美国政府不再支持海地现任总理继续执政，由于海地是台湾少数仅存的外交盟友，外交部回应：「台湾将持续与美国等理念相近国家密切合作，善尽国际社会成员的责任，共同协助海地渡过难关。」

而台湾的另一个友邦洪都拉斯，前第一夫人罗莎因盗用公款被判刑，其中也包括了台湾对该国支出的援款。外交部说明：「外交部尊重宏国司法程序及判决，没有其他评论。」

在蒙特里尔举行的「国际民航组织（ICAO）」大会，台湾这次又再度被拒于门外。

而在美国匹兹堡举办的「全球清洁能源行动论坛」上，只见中国讲者，却不见任何台湾讲者受邀出席。外交部表示：「对于该会议均无所悉，建议媒体可转询问经济部以便获得相关资讯。」

美国与台湾启动的「台美21世纪贸易倡议」之中，特别包括了「支持环境和气候行动」等11项共同合作的议题，但却在此相关大会上被排挤。

这一连串外交部对于此类议题的「外交式回复」给我们两个很好的提醒：

一、尽管在台湾媒体上台湾的外交不时传出「重大突破」的捷报，且就算其他国家与台湾抱持着相同的民主信念，他们也总会以该国自身的政策方针为优先考量，很多时候这不一定会嘉惠于台湾、也不一定代表在两岸关系上他们会更靠拢台湾。

二、对于自己被排除在外的国际场合与事件，台湾需要更努力深入了解个中脉络并奠定自己的国际地位。

（作者为美国共和党前亚太区主席）

原文全文：

Taiwan Foreign Policy in September: Perceptions & Realities

By Ross Darrell Feingold

Former Asia Chairman, Republicans Abroad

Twitter: @RossFeingold

At first glance, Taiwan’s foreign relations in September went from one success to another. A bi-partisan delegation of US Congressmen visited Taiwan, Lithuania opened its trade representative office in Taipei, Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh and two former Legislative Yuan Presidents (Wang Jin-pyng, and Su Jia-chyuan) received invitations to Abe Shinzo’s state funeral, Taiwan’s representative in London signed a condolence book for Queen Elizabeth, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for closer relations with Taiwan, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China meeting issued a communique with strong wording in support of Taiwan, the Taiwan Policy Act passed the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. troops would defend Taiwan, the United States and Canada navies jointly sailed through the Taiwan Strait, and several of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies spoke on behalf of Taiwan at the United Nations General Assembly.

However, Taiwan should not, as the saying goes, “break its arm patting itself on the back” for foreign policy successes in September. The Murphy-led delegation lacked “star power” as the delegation members are not known for prominent roles with regard to Taiwan policy, the Lithuania’s office opened nearly a year after Taiwan opened its office in Lithuania (and the office name includes the word “trade”, making it significantly different from the name of the “Taiwan Representative Office” in Lithuania which appears to connote a sovereign country and thus angered China), Taiwan’s representation at Abe Shinzo’s funeral is significantly below other countries given that prime ministers such as Australia’s Anthony Albanese, India’s Narendra Modi, and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien-loong (notwithstanding Abe Shinzo was photographed sleeping at Lee Kuan-yew’s funeral in 2015) will attend (and as Su Jia-chyuan visited Japan in June shortly after he became chairman of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, his participation is not a breakthrough), China Vice President Wang Qishan was invited by the United Kingdom government to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, the European Parliament approved a report on European Union – Taiwan political relations in October 2021 that the European Commission for the most part ignored, just as in 2021 a Taiwan government minister could not attend the IPAC meeting in person, eliminated from the Taiwan Policy Act by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was a demand that the US government agree to change the name of Taiwan’s representative office in the United States to “Taiwan” from “Taipei” (revised to merely a suggestion) and deleted was a requirement that the Senate confirm the US representative in Taipei, the White House said Biden’s remarks about defending Taiwan is not official U.S. policy, the Canadian government remains reluctant to make bold pro-Taiwan gestures, and at the United Nations not only did Taiwan’s annual “pity party” fail to change its exclusion from UN-affiliated organizations but also on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly China Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kubela.

The above were not the only setbacks for Taiwan’s foreign policy in September. India Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit amid a troop pullback along the disputed China-India border which indicates the countries might seek a relaxation of tensions in the short term. Similarly, South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol recently met with National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu amid concerns in Taiwan and the United States about South Korea’s cautious attitude towards the Chip 4 alliance and after Yoon declined to meet US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she flew to Seoul from Taipei in August. Thailand recently humiliated Taiwan with the leak of National Security Bureau Director-General Chen Ming-tong’s visit to Bangkok. Over 100 non-government organizations in the United States called on the U.S. government to cease supporting Ariel Henry, Prime Minister of Taiwan’s diplomatic ally Haiti but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when asked by the China Times declined to say it agrees that Henry should step down and instead said it will continue to work with like-minded countries to support Haiti. Former Honduran first lady Rosa Elena Bonilla Ávila was convicted of embezzling government money including aid provided by Taiwan (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the China Times that it respects the Honduran legal process). Taiwan will once again be excluded from the triennial meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal.

In addition, the United States recently hosted in Pittsburgh a ministerial level Global Clean Energy Action Forum that had speakers from China but not Taiwan. This is despite the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade including “Supporting the environment and climate action” among its areas. When asked by the China Times about Taiwan’s exclusion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had no information and suggested inquiring with the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The reply from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the energy ministerial forum, and the other setbacks described in this commentary, offer two good reminders: Despite periodic good news for Taiwan’s foreign relations, other countries will always prioritize their own policy goals regardless of things like “shared values” with Taiwan or the threat China poses to Taiwan, and, Taiwan’s government needs to work a bit harder to stay aware of what events even its closest ally the United States is excluding Taiwan from participating in.