英文 English 
Foreign ministry on defensive after Japan denies sending National Day greetings (2019/10/09)

National Day greetings allegedly sent by the Japanese government are now under scrutiny. Last Friday, a Taiwan mission in Japan released two messages of National Day greetings written for Taiwan and signed by Japan's prime minister and deputy minister. After word got out, a member of Japan's Cabinet Secretariat denied that the prime minister had issued the message. The denial has put Taiwan's foreign ministry on the defensive. A ministry spokesman stepped out to clarify on Wednesday, and she maintains that the greetings are real.

These two National Day greetings to the R.O.C. had been shown at a banquet held by the Fukuoka branch of Taiwan's mission in Osaka. One was said to be from Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. The other, from Deputy Prime Minister Aso Taro. Chinese media later reported that Okada Naoki, a deputy chief of Japan's Cabinet Secretariat, denied that Abe had sent the greeting. Taiwan's foreign ministry stands by the assertion that he had.

Joanne Ou
Taiwan foreign ministry spokeswoman
Our representative bodies in Japan had in fact received the congratulatory greetings, which were passed on by another party. As for who carried the message, I think that due to the mutual trust between Taiwan and Japan, I am not at liberty to reveal the identity. No disciplinary action has been taken, because to do so would be to presume that someone did something wrong.

Frank Hsieh, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Japan, said Japan never specifically stated that the greetings were fake. He added, "Diplomacy is a delicate affair." China's foreign ministry responded with force at a news conference.

Geng Shuang
China foreign ministry spokesman
I would like to offer some advice to some people on the island of Taiwan: Don't try to act clever. You'll just end up making fools of yourselves.

Chao Tien-lin
DPP lawmaker
It was said that he didn't send the greetings. It was not said that the greetings were fake. So these greetings were not sent officially through the prime minister's office. Instead, in a friendly gesture made through an unofficial channel, they put forward a message of a groundbreaking nature.

It's still unclear whether the greetings were a breakthrough or faux pas. The premier has urged diplomatic officials to get to the bottom of the matter.
中文 Chinese  
外交部證實確有安倍賀電 謝:外交很微妙



[[外交部發言人 歐江安]]


[[中國外交部發言人 耿爽]]

[[立委(民) 趙天麟]]


