| Location | Taipei – Taiwan |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Duration | 00:04:57 |
| Source | A24 |
| Restrictions | a24 clients |
| Dateline | 23-12-2021 |
Storyline:
Taiwan has strongly protested with South Korea after a conference invitation to one of the country’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang was canceled at the last minute over “cross-Strait issues” indicating the relations between Taipei and Beijing. Taiwan’s Digital Minister Audrey Tang was set to speak online at The 4th Global Policy Conference on the 4th Industrial Revolution in the South Korean capital on Dec 16, but the island’s foreign ministry said that was canceled with the organizers citing “various aspects of cross-Strait issues were taken into consideration”.
Shotlist:
- Various shots of traffic in Taipei City
- Various exterior of Taiwan’s foreign ministry
(Soundbite) Joanne Ou – Taiwan’s foreign ministry spokesperson:
“The cancellation was made at the last minute at 07:50 AM by Email to Minister Audrey Tang’s entourage. The reason given by the Korean government was because they were ‘considering various aspects of cross-strait relations. This was the reason the Korean side gave us. But when our representative office in South Korea filed a protest, the organizers of The 4th Global Policy Conference failed to give us further reasons and motives.”
“As I previously said, this incident with South Korea probably happened because their internal communication was not done properly. Maybe they initially invited Audrey Tang, but they failed to consider that his speech’s content could conflict with the organizers’ ideas. Or that they did not check the content of the speech. Maybe they found out that the content was conflicting with their event, and thus canceled the speech at the last minute. Such situations are quite common (with Taiwan) because when Taiwanese, be it, civilians or officials, take part in all kinds of international events, we do get invited because organizers want to be friendly. But when we arrive at the event itself, there will be lots of surprises. For example, showing the national flag will be forbidden. Or you will not be allowed to pronounce the word ‘Taiwan’. Such situations will only be met when we get there, and we eventually know that we do not have the same rights as other participants.”
- Various shots of Kuo Chiayo, President of Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association located in Taipei City
- (Soundbite) Kuo Chiayo – President of Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association:
- Various shots Kuo Chiayo using a mobile phone
- (Soundbite) Kuo Chiayo – President of Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association:
“The issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty is a main diplomatic topic and argument within the cyberworld and international media. Here we speak about public diplomacy and international media arguing how to deal with the issue of Taiwan’s diplomacy. The public opinion in the cyberworld and international media’s headlines would also influence the local government’s attitude toward Taiwan. Therefore, Taiwan’s role is to influence from the outside each country’s people’s support for Taiwan so that we can still have the freedom to speak and defend our rights on the international stage.”
- Various shots from the main gate of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
- Various shots of Scott Lai, an employee in a company in Taipei City
- (Soundbite) Scott Lai – An employee in a company in Taipei City:
- Various shots of Audrey Tang during a video shooting
“(Minister) Audrey Tang is well-known not only in Taiwan but also in the rest of the world. His speech was canceled at the last minute. I think this is a very impolite act, and the South Korean government has not given a clear reason. It just said it was ‘considering various cross-strait relations’. But I think that if they had considered cross-strait relations, they should decide whether to invite Audrey Tang or not beforehand. This must be decided way before. So, they have considered and invited Audrey Tang, and then cancel at the last minute, I think this is going too far. This is very impolite. Speaking of the reason behind it, I think China must be behind this. But we don’t know how it happened. So, for Taiwanese people, China’s suppression is a common phenomenon. We are no stranger to this.”
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