方恩格快评》外交取暖 蔡英文只会蹭民主

近日，蔡英文总统在台北举行的「2021年开放国会论坛」上发表讲话。为什么这个事件是必要的？笔者审慎地认为该事件适得其反。

美国将于12月9日举行「民主峰会」，2021年期间，蔡总统是否会亲自或透过视频会议与会有很多猜测。最终，蔡总统没有被邀请，而是由驻美代表萧美琴和政务委员唐凤代为出席。 2021年台北开放国会论坛的时间安排，由少数国家的大多数不知名的外国政要参加，类似国际间举行多边活动期间，台湾因无法参加而在场边举办一些「取暖」活动一般，例如世界卫生大会、联合国大会或最近在苏格兰举行的 COP26 会议。与其在「民主峰会」前几天在台北举办这样的活动，让台湾媒体作出一些积极的报导，台湾政府不如将资源用于促进萧美琴和唐凤参与全球活动，将会更有成效。

为了让部分外国政要亲自出席「开放国会论坛」，对来自贝里斯、爱沙尼亚、拉脱维亚、立陶宛和美国等国的外宾发出隔离豁免。最近，这种隔离豁免对于来访的外国政要来说变得很普遍，他们参加了有利于台湾政府官员的活动，他们可能会得到媒体的积极报导。然而，这些豁免令台湾公民和居留台湾的外籍人士感到沮丧，他们在返回台湾后仍需隔离。毫不奇怪，最近台湾的本地和跨国商界领袖呼吁政府实施更实际的检疫政策，以避免在其他国家更快地对国际旅客重新开放时台湾被边缘化。

最后，蔡总统在「开放国会论坛」发表讲话的同时，东盟人权国会议员组织发表了一份报告指出，2021年东盟有91名国会议员被拘留，而2020年只有一位被拘留。该报告指出马来西亚、缅甸、泰国和菲律宾令人震惊的事态发展。不幸的是，蔡总统在「开放国会论坛」上的讲话对邻近东盟国家的议员所面临的情况只字未提。蔡总统指出，「我们的合作对象也从印太地区，扩展到欧洲等其他区域，邀请更多的伙伴一起针对全球重大议题深化交流。」

「新南向政策」始终面临着是要进行民主倡导、还是寻求与东盟非民主国家政府建立更好关系的固有挑战。然而，蔡总统在「开放国会论坛」上的讲话中说：「我们愿意和世界各国分享经验，跟所有的民主伙伴，一起捍卫共享的民主、自由价值。」

希望「愿意分享」意味着实质性的行动，而不仅仅是获得国内媒体正面报导的口头表达。

Year End Pity Party in Taiwan Can’t Replace Substantive Action

By Ross Darrell Feingold

Twitter: @RossFeingold

President Tsai Ing-wen recently delivered a speech to the 2021 Open Parliament Forum held in Taipei. Why was this event necessary? This author is author respectfully suggests the event was counterproductive.

The United States will hold a “Summit for Democracy” on 9 December, and over the course of 2021 there was much speculation as to whether or not President Tsai would attend either in person or via video conference. Ultimately, President Tsai was not invited, and Representative to the United State Hsiao Bi-khim and Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang will attend instead. The timing of the 2021 Open Parliament Forum in Taipei, with participation by mostly unknown foreign dignitaries from a small number of countries, comes across as a “pity party” event similar to those Taiwan holds on the sidelines of multilateral events that Taiwan is unable to attend, such as the World Health Assembly, United Nations General Assembly, or the recent COP26 meeting in Scotland. Instead of holding such an event in Taipei days before the Summit for Democracy that results in a few positive media stories in Taiwan, it would be more productive if the Taiwan government devoted its resources to promoting Hsiao and Tang’s participation in the global event.

In order for some foreign dignitaries to attend the Open Parliament Forum in person, quarantine waivers were issued to visitors from countries including Belize, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the United States. Such quarantine waivers have recently become common for visiting foreign dignitaries who attend events that benefit Taiwan government officials who might receive positive media coverage. However, these waivers are frustrating for Taiwan citizens and foreign residents, who still must quarantine upon return to Taiwan. It is no surprise that recently local and multinational business leaders in Taiwan have called on the government to implement more practical quarantine policies to avoid the marginalization of Taiwan when amid other countries re-opening faster to international travelers.

Finally, on the same that President Tsai spoke to the Open Parliament Forum, the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights issued a report noting that 91 lawmakers in ASEAN were detained in 2021, compared with only one in 2020. The report noted alarming developments in Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines. Unfortunately, President Tsai’s speech at the Open Parliament Forum was silent on the situation faced by parliamentarians in the nearby ASEAN countries. President Tsai noted that “We have also started working with partners outside of the Indo-Pacific region, including those in Europe, to address key global issues and deepen exchanges”.

The “New Southbound Policy” always had the inherent challenge of whether to engage in democracy advocacy, or, seek better relations with governments in ASEAN’s non democracies. However, in her speech to the Open Parliament Forum, President Tsai said “We are willing to work with our like-minded partners to safeguard our shared values of freedom and democracy.”

Hopefully, “willing to work” means substantive action, and not merely words that achieve positive domestic media coverage.

※以上言论不代表旺中媒体集团立场※