TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Singapore’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs George Yeo (楊榮文) last week expressed his "surprise" that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) condemned him for acting as a "mouthpiece" for China and aiding in spreading Beijing propaganda.
During his keynote speech at the Asia-Pacific Forward Forum in Taipei on Wednesday (Sept. 13), Yeo suggested Taiwan join with China in a "Chinese commonwealth" to avoid a cross-strait conflict. Yeo accused former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of exploiting Taiwan during her visit in August 2022 and claimed the Taiwanese government was "not so willing" to receive her.
In a press release issued on Thursday (Sept. 14), MOFA said Yeo's remarks about the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan-U.S. relations at the Asia-Pacific Forward Forum were "completely inconsistent with the facts, clearly biased, and vastly different from the understanding of most democratic countries in the region." MOFA expressed its deep regret over Yeo's comments and urged avoiding turning public opinions into a "mouthpiece for authoritarian China."
The ministry also said it hoped foreign visitors invited to Taiwan to attend events would have an "accurate understanding of the developments in the international and regional situation, and demonstrate respect for the host country and adhere to basic diplomatic etiquette." It concluded by saying, "This is to avoid being perceived as assisting the Chinese government in its propaganda efforts."
Late on Thursday evening, Yeo responded to MOFA in a Facebook post saying he was "surprised" by the ministry's reaction to his speech. He claimed that his remarks were "well received by the audience," which he said had former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and former Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), both of whom are Kuomintang (KMT) party members.
Yeo closed by saying he has "great affection for the land and people of Taiwan and meant well." On Friday, Yeo uploaded photos of himself meeting with former Taipei major and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
