时论广场》外交作为走调 立委监督不力（方恩格 Ross Darrell Feingold）

图为蔡英文总统（中）4月26日与瓜地马拉总统贾麦岱（左）出席「咖啡胖卡全台走透透」开幕活动，两人剪彩象征活动正式启动。图右为总统府秘书长林佳龙。（资料照,陈怡诚摄）

台湾外交处境艰难，但这并不意味着台湾的立法委员应该为外交行动「开空白支票」。然而，最近台湾外交关系的发展，显示出各政党立委都需要把工作做得更好，以免浪费了台湾的资源。

台湾是少数在未被承认但自主自治的索马利兰开设代表处的国家之一，但有些台湾人不明智地称这种关系为「准邦交」。蔡英文总统称台湾和索马利兰「共享民主自由的价值，是理念相近的伙伴」。事实上，索马利兰总统缪斯·比希·阿卜迪推迟了原定于2022年举行的总统选举，新闻自由受到威胁，且已经演变为内战，数百人丧生。

今年2月，许多国家联合发表声明谴责索马利兰内部冲突，美国政府呼吁「立即实行无条件停火并提供无障碍的人道救援通道」，同时联合国难民署也呼吁国际社会提供人道援助，以协助逾10万逃离冲突的难民。

虽然台湾媒体也报导了索马利兰此新闻，但立委似乎对台湾支持索马利兰政府不感兴趣。最近在立法院，民进党立委林静仪向外交部长吴钊燮质询台湾与索马利兰的关系，只有问台湾为索马利兰学生提供的奖学金和为索马利兰医疗援助的事宜。林静仪并没有质询任何有关索马利兰延迟总统选举、持续的冲突或人权问题，却向外交部长吴钊燮询问了与索马利兰进行国防合作的可能性。

尽管索马利兰的情况越来越严峻，在最近几周，台湾政府官员前往当地与索马利兰政府官员会面，参加了「第一届台湾-索马利兰能源和矿产资源联合工作小组会议」，而台湾驻索马利兰代表处也安排了台湾商务代表团参访索马利兰政府机构。整体而言，各政党的立委似乎对台湾如何与有外交关系的国家保持关系的细节不感兴趣。

在2021年12月与台湾断交之前，尼加拉瓜曾是个典型的例子。最近，由「尼加拉瓜人权专家组」所撰写的报告提交给了联合国人权理事会，该报告确定了尼加拉瓜的安全机构在2018年反政府抗议活动中犯下了危害人类罪。这发生在2018年3月尼加拉瓜陆军总司令拜访蔡总统之后不久（他后来被美国制裁），而在2018年晚些时候，台湾甚至向一名已被美国制裁的警官捐赠了数百万美元（据称是用于医疗援助）。

宏都拉斯共和国也是一个相似的例子。在2021年11月，蔡政府欢迎当时的总统叶南德兹来到台湾（他在2022年1月结束任期）。叶南德兹已经因涉嫌贩毒和其他罪行而受到调查，不久之后他被引渡至美国。不意外的是，当前总统秀玛拉·卡蕬楚作为叶南德兹的政治对手，她仍记得台湾对叶南德兹的友好，并于今年3月决定终止与台湾的外交关系。

蔡总统最近访问了瓜地马拉，且瓜地马拉总统贾麦岱访问了台湾，但类似的事件也在那里发生。蔡总统形容她访问瓜地马拉是为了「坚定地捍卫自由民主价值」，总统府发言人林聿禅则表示，贾麦岱总统访问台湾是「携手为全球民主韧性共同努力」。然而，近几个月国际社会已多次表达对贾麦岱政府欠缺民主的忧虑。国际人权组织批评贾麦岱政府禁止在野党候选人在即将举行的总统选举中参选，而美国则批评其法治的恶化以及对记者的迫害。

就另一个台湾友邦巴拉圭而言，同样的模式也正在上演。在巴拉圭于4月30日举行的总统大选后，外交部便给胜选的全国共和协会 - 科罗拉多党候选人培尼亚贺电。与其竞选对手阿莱格雷表示若是他胜选便会终止与台外交关系的情况不同，大家预期培尼亚将继续保持外交关系。

然而，巴拉圭的评论家声称培尼亚是「前总统、现任科罗拉多党主席卡特斯的的傀儡」。今年1月，美国财政部宣布对前总统卡特斯因涉嫌参与腐败行为以及与恐怖组织真主党成员有关系而实施制裁。这是继美国国务院在2022年宣布卡特斯及其3名成年子女涉嫌参与重大贪污后的又一次行动。

当时巴拉圭总统卡特斯于2017年访问台湾时，蔡总统表示「她经常在社群媒体上看到有关卡特斯总统政绩的正面评论」，而卡特斯声称台巴两国的友好关系是奠基在对民主、自由和人权共同价值的尊崇。

在另一个和台湾友邦圣文森及格瑞那丁，媒体最近报导，总理龚萨福表示，台湾将贷款约2.14亿美元用于基础建设项目。财政部长还说，台湾将贷款5000万美元用于建造万豪酒店。财政部长是总理的儿子。这会有什么问题吗？

不论总统出于哪个政党，或立法院中哪些政党占多数或少数，也许现在是时候让立法委员提出更好的质询了。

（作者为美国共和党前亚太区主席，翻译：许淳恩）

【全文】

Legislative Oversight Over Foreign Policy

By Ross Darrell Feingold

Former Asia Chairman, Republicans Abroad

Twitter: @RossFeingold

Taiwan’s challenging diplomatic circumstances does not mean Taiwan’s legislators should “write blank checks” for diplomatic efforts. However, recent developments in Taiwan’s foreign relationsd indicate that legislators from all of Taiwan’s political parties need to do a better job so that Taiwan’s resources are not wasted.

Taiwan is one of the few countries to open a representative office in the unrecognized but self-governing Somaliland, and some in Taiwan foolishly call the relationship “diplomatic recognition in waiting”. President Tsai Ing-wen called Taiwan and Somaliland “like-minded partners who share the values of democracy and freedom”. In fact, President Muse Bihi Abdi delayed the presidential election that was to occur in 2022, freedom of the press is under threat, and hundreds have died in what has become a civil war.

In February, many countries issued a joint statement to condemn the fighting in Somaliland, the United States government called for “an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access”, and the United Nations Refugee Agency called for humanitarian aid to assist the over 100,000 refugees that fled the fighting.

Although Taiwan media has also reported about these developments, legislators seemed uninterested in Taiwan’s support for Somaliland’s government. Recently at the Legislative Yuan, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Ching-yi asked Foreign Minister Joseph Wu about Taiwan-Somaliland relations. Legislator Lin asked about scholarships for Somaliland students, and medical aid for Somaliland.

Legislator Lin didn’t ask a single question about Somaliland’s delayed presidential election, the ongoing fighting, or the human rights situation.

In fact, Legislator Lin even asked Foreign Minister Wu about the possibility of defense cooperation with Somaliland!

Despite the worsening situation in Somaliland, in recent weeks Taiwan government officials went there to meet with Somaliland government officials for the “1st Taiwan-Somaliland Joint Working Group on Energy and Mineral Resources Cooperation Meeting”, and, the Taiwan Representative Office in Somaliland arranged for a business delegation from Taiwan to visit Somaliland government agencies.

In general, legislators from all political parties seem uninterested in the details of how Taiwan maintains its relationships in those countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Nicaragua (prior to termination of diplomatic relations with Taiwan in December 2021) is a typical example. Recently, a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council authored by the “Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua” determined that Nicaragua’s security agencies committed crimes against humanity against anti-government protestors in 2018. This occurred shortly after Nicaragua’s army commander-in-chief visited President Tsai in March 2018 (he was later sanctioned by the United States), and later in 2018 Taiwan even donated millions of United States dollars (supposedly for medical aid) to a police official who was already under United States sanctions.

Honduras is a similar example. In November 2021, the Tsai Administration welcomed then-president Juan Orlando Hernández to Taiwan, shortly before the end of his term in January 2022. Hernández was already under investigation for drug trafficking and other crimes, and not long after he left office he was extradited to the United States. Surely no one is surprised that current President Xiomara Castro, a political enemy of Hernández, remembered Taiwan’s friendliness to Hernández, and that in March this year she decided to terminate diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Even though President Tsai recently visited Guatemala, and Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei visited Taiwan, similar events are also occurring there.

President Tsai described her visit to Guatemala as necessary to “stand firm in defense of freedom and democracy”, and Presidential Office Spokesperson Olivia Lin described President Giammattei’s visit to Taiwan as “bolstering our joint efforts toward global democratic resilience”. However, in recent months the international community has repeatedly expressed concern about the lack of democracy under Giammattei. international human rights organizations criticized the banning of opposition candidates in the upcoming presidential election, and the United States criticized the deterioration of the rule of law and the persecution of journalists.

As for Paraguay, another country that has diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the pattern is repeating itself there too. After Paraguay's presidential election on April 30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated winner Santiago Peña of the ruling Colorado Party (Asociación Nacional Republicana, ANR). Unlike his election opponent Efrain Alegre who said he would end diplomatic relations with Taiwan if he won the election, the expectation is that Peña will maintain diplomatic relations.

However, critics in Paraguay allege that Peña is “is acting as a puppet of party leader and main backer” former President Horatio Cartes Jara. In January this year, the United States Treasury Department announced sanctions against former president Cartes due to alleged participation in corruption and his relationships with members of terrorist organization Hezbollah. This followed the United States State Department announcement in 2022 that it had designated Cartes and three of his adult children for involvement in significant corruption.

When then-President Cartes visited Taiwan in 2017, President Tsai said “she often sees positive comments on social media about good things that President Cartes has done”, while Cartes claimed the friendly relations between Taiwan and Paraguay are based on respect for the common values of democracy, freedom, and human rights.

In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, another country that has diplomatic relations with Taiwan, media recently reported that Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said Taiwan will loan approximately USD214,000,000 for infrastructure projects. The finance minister also said that Taiwan will loan USD50,000,000 to build a Marriot hotel. The finance minister is the prime minister’s son. What can go wrong?

Regardless of which party the President comes from or which parties are a majority or minority in the Legislative Yuan, perhaps it is time for legislators to ask better questions.