標題有大誤導：美駐聯合國大使首晤我駐紐約代表 將協助推動「台灣重返」聯合國 自由20200917

【縛雞之見】

雖是首次見面具有意義，但是英文的Taiwan’s participation變成中文的「台灣重返」。

很不小心或很粗心的記者。

還有一句沒被記者報導：“They care about the relationship (of) the Chinese people with the Taiwanese. They care — which to me spoke volumes.” 

美駐聯合國大使首晤我駐紐約代表 將協助推動台灣重返聯合國    自由20200917

美國駐聯合國大使克拉夫特（Kelly Craft）16日與駐紐約辦事處長李光章共進午餐，克拉夫特稱這場與台灣官員的餐會是「歷史性會議」，並稱美國正在推動台灣重返聯合國。

《美聯社》報導，克拉夫特16日在紐約曼哈頓東區的一間戶外餐廳與李光章共進午餐，這是台灣高級官員與美國駐聯合國大使的首次會面。克拉夫特說，「我一直想做總統覺得對的事，我認為總統一直在努力強化與台灣的雙邊關係，所以我想代表政府繼續保持這種關係。」

她指出，李光章在7月之前擔任台灣外交部主任秘書，才剛到紐約任職駐紐約辦事處長，李光章就邀約她共進午餐，而她也接受了這項邀請。

克拉夫特強調，台灣正在被北京邊緣化，他們有2400萬人的聲音想被聽見，這真的很遺憾，台灣應該像其他所有人一樣能夠參與聯合國事務，「如果美國不挺身而出對抗中國，那麼在台灣問題上誰要去做呢？而且不僅是台灣，還有香港和其他國家呢？」

克拉夫特說，「很顯然，我們確實正在推動台灣重返聯合國，或在聯合國衛生大會中發揮作用，特別是台灣發現武漢肺炎（新型冠狀病毒病，COVID-19）有人傳人的風險。」

李光章則稱克拉夫特是一名「了不起的外交官」，他表示，他剛到紐約這個城市，很高興能夠結識新朋友，台灣和美國享有民主、人權和法治的價值觀，台美能成為偉大的合作夥伴。

克拉夫特說，台灣為世界提供了太多東西，以及無私分享的做法，而美國和台灣的共同目標是促進民主，她期待有一天能見到總統蔡英文。

 

US envoy to United Nations meets with Taiwan official in NY    EDITH M. LEDERER＠AP 20200917

U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft had lunch Wednesday with Taiwan’s top official in New York, a meeting she called “historic” and a further step in the Trump administration’s campaign to strengthen relations with the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.

Craft said her lunch with James K.J. Lee, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, at an outdoor restaurant on Manhattan’s East Side was the first meeting between a top Taiwan official and a United States ambassador to the United Nations.

“I’m looking to do the right thing by my president, and I feel that he has sought to strengthen and deepen this bilateral relationship with Taiwan and I want to continue that on behalf of the administration,” she told The Associated Press.

The meeting came weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election and barely a day before U.S. Undersecretary of State Keith Krach is due to arrive in Taiwan in the highest-level visit by a State Department official to the island in decades. He is expected to meet Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on his visit and participate in an economic dialogue.

The activity is certain to exacerbate mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing over the COVID-19 pandemic, trade, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.

Warmer American relations with democratic Taiwan are largely a result of strong bipartisan support in Congress, but also appear to show how the Trump administration is willing to defy Beijing’s threats and promote an alternative to Chinese Communist Party authoritarianism.

The Trump administration is pressing for Taiwan’s inclusion as a separate entity in international organizations like the World Health Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization, and is pushing back against Beijing’s diplomatic victories over Taipei this year that have included several small countries abandoning diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in favor of China.

Craft said Lee, who was secretary-general in Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs until July and just arrived in New York, invited her to lunch and she accepted.

“It was a nice way for the host country to welcome him to New York and to hear about his family and his experience, and obviously his respect and admiration for the Chinese people” as well as the “many, many innovations in technology ... that Taiwan has to offer the world.”

China has been stepping up its threat to bring the self-governing island under its control by military force with frequent war games and aerial patrols. It claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has been using its diplomatic clout to stop the island from joining any organizations that require statehood for membership.

Taiwan left the United Nations in 1971 when China joined and is excluded from all of its agencies, including the World Health Organization’s assembly, where Taiwan’s observer status has been stripped.  At the same time, it has one of the most robust public health systems in the world, and has won praise for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

In May, a tweet from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, which ambassador Craft retweeted, expressed support for Taiwan’s participation in the United Nations, saying the 193-member world organization was founded to serve “all voices,” welcome “a diversity of views and perspectives,” and promote human rights. It said “Barring #Taiwan from setting foot on UN grounds is an affront not just to the proud Taiwanese people, but to UN principles.”

A spokesperson for China’s U.N. Mission expressed “strong indignation and firm opposition,” calling the U.S. Mission tweet “a serious violation” of the General Assembly resolution that gave China the U.N. seat, three U.S.-China joint communiques, and China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Craft said the 24 million people in Taiwan “need to be heard and they’re being marginalized by Beijing.”

“It really is a shame because they should be able to participate in U.N. affairs just like everyone else,” she said.  “If the U.S. doesn’t stand up to China then who’s going to when it comes to Taiwan, and not only Taiwan but Hong Kong and others?”

Craft said she and Lee “discussed different ways that we can best help Taiwan become more engaged within the U.N.”

She echoed President Donald Trump in pointing to an email alert sent by Taiwan in December that the WHO ignored, warning about person-to-person transmission of the new virus in China, which indicated that the infection was highly contagious.

“Obviously we really are pushing for them to be back into the U.N., or have a role in the U.N. health assembly,” Craft said, especially in light of Taiwan’s recognition of the danger of human to human transmission of the coronavirus.

Lee called Craft “a terrific diplomat” and told AP that he is here to engage and being new in town he appreciates meeting people and making friends.

“Taiwan and the U.S. share the values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” he said.  “We could make great partners.”

Craft said the next step is “just being supportive ... and just making sure that he knows that the U.S. appreciates all of their contributions.”

“They have so much to offer the world and are most unselfish about sharing best practices,” she said.  “They care about the relationship (of) the Chinese people with the Taiwanese. They care — which to me spoke volumes.”

Craft stressed that U.S. and Taiwan share the goal of promoting democracy and she said she looks forward one day to meeting Tsai.