Rumors of discrimination are not true: source – Taipei Times

FALSE STORY:
Some say that the US’s failure to provide information about Lai’s transit meant that Taiwan-US relations deteriorated, but a similar response was given for Ma’s transit in 2008.

• By Su Yung-yao and Esme Yeh / Staff Reporter, with Staff Writer

A cognitive warfare campaign was launched to stoke skepticism about Taiwan-US relations following a press conference on President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming visits to allies in the Pacific, a source said yesterday.

The presidential office announced on Friday that Lai will lead a delegation to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau from next Saturday to December 6, aiming to strengthen cooperation and partnerships with Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.

Plans for the president’s transit during the South Pacific trip are still being finalized, Vice Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said, adding that the government would make an announcement “at an appropriate time.” discuss the final plans.

Photo: Reuters

However, disinformation is being spread about the visits, creating a false narrative that the US gave Lai “discriminatory treatment” because of “deteriorating” Taiwan-US relations and Washington’s “suspicions” of Lai, a source familiar with is with national security issues yesterday. on condition of anonymity.

Some said Lai would not be able to travel through the contiguous U.S., but it is common for Taiwanese presidents to travel via remote U.S. islands in the Pacific while visiting allies in the South Pacific, they said.

For example, then-President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) toured Hawaii during a visit to Central American allies in 2014, the source said.

“Would anyone say that (Ma’s) visit has been downgraded twice?” they asked.

Despite rumors that Lai is being treated worse than his predecessors Ma and former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the US government’s handling of Taiwanese presidents’ transit through its territory has improved significantly during Tsai’s presidency, the source said.

Reports on Ma’s transit into US territories were not allowed during his presidency, they said, adding that at the time of Tsai’s taking office, the US government chose to take a step forward and pass a bill lifting the restrictions .

That reflected Washington’s confidence in the Democratic Progressive Party as a more reliable government worthy of dialogue and cooperation, the source said.

A local media editorial said Friday that Washington treated Tsai with a preferential “layover combination” during her US transit last year by promising “safety, comfort, dignity and convenience,” but responded to questions about Lai’s upcoming visits by simply saying that no further information could be provided.

Citing the editorial, the source said such stories attempted to foster the illusion that Washington harbors suspicions of Lai and treats him in a discriminatory manner.

However, when asked about Ma’s first transit along the US West Coast in 2008, then US State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos gave a similar response and said no official explanation could be offered, they said.

Washington has been hosting Taiwanese presidents since 2000 under the principle of “safety, comfort, dignity and convenience”, whether it was former US President George Bush with former President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), former US President Barack Obama with Ma, former US President and President-elect Donald Trump with Tsai, or US President Joe Biden with Lai, the source said.

Washington’s attitude toward Taiwanese presidents’ stops would not change because it is a different time or because of international situations, and its continued assistance despite regime changes shows the solid ties between Taiwan and the US, they said.