Taiwan denies US lobbyist facilitated Tsai call to Trump

TAIPEI — Taiwan yesterday denied that former United States senator Bob Dole acted as an agent to facilitate a protocol-breaking call between the island’s President Tsai Ing-wen and US President-elect Donald Trump.

Foreign Minister David Lee told a legislative committee meeting yesterday that neither Mr Dole nor any lobbying firm in the US hired by the Taiwan government played a role in arranging Ms Tsai’s congratulatory call to Mr Trump.

“Our national security team commissioned the representative office in the United States to have direct contacts with Trump’s transition team,” Mr Lee said.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Mr Dole, working as a lobbyist with the Washington law firm Alston & Bird, coordinated with Mr Trump’s campaign and the transition team to set up a series of meetings between Mr Trump’s staff and advisers and officials in Taiwan.

It said the outreach effort then culminated last week in the historic telephone call, which is the first direct communication with a Taiwanese leader by a US President or President-elect since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of “One China”. Beijing regards the island as a renegade province, to be taken back by force one day, if necessary.

Citing disclosure documents filed with the US Justice Department, The New York Times said Mr Dole’s firm received US$140,000 (S$198,720) from May to October for its work.

Beijing had complained to Washington after Mr Trump, who has no foreign affairs experience, flouted almost four decades of diplomatic protocol by directly speaking with Ms Tsai, though US Vice-President-elect Mike Pence played down the telephone conversation, saying it was a “courtesy” call that is not intended to show a shift in US policy on China.

Earlier, CNN had reported that Mr Stephen Yates, a former White House official and the current chairman of the Idaho Republican Party, organised the congratulatory phone call.

However, Mr Yates has denied the report, however, telling reporters after arriving in Taiwan on Tuesday for a private visit that he “played no role” in arranging the call.

“We should not over-analyse or overreact to the fact that your current and our future leader spoke by phone,” he said. “While it is reasonable for the people of Taiwan to expect friendly relations from the incoming administration, it would not be reasonable to anticipate major changes in US policy at this point.”

Democratic Progressive Party legislator Lo Chih-cheng, who had dinner with Mr Yates and Ms Tsai at her official residence Wednesday night, told Kyodo News that Ms Tsai explained to her guest that Taiwan requested the telephone call “through proper channels” and that, much to its surprise, Mr Trump’s transition team responded positively. KYODO NEWS