Tiong’s Pelosi remarks ‘puts govt in tough spot’

 

Special envoy to China Tiong King Sing must be reminded that he represents Malaysia and must articulate the Malaysian government’s views, says Dennis Ignatius.

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian special envoy to China has put the government in a difficult situation with his criticism of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, according to a former diplomat.

Dennis Ignatius said special envoys like Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing must take their cue from the government they represent.

He said foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah had made a statement that was carefully balanced and nuanced, “treading a fine line between both the US and China”.

However, Tiong had said that Pelosi’s trip had undermined the region’s stability; he accused the US of violating the “One China” principle, and urged western nations against practising a double standard by condemning Russia’s aggression in Ukraine yet interfering in the Taiwan Strait region and using Taiwan to divide China, Malaysiakini reported.

Yesterday, Saifuddin had said that Malaysia held on to the One China policy and urged all concerned parties to approach the situation carefully.

Ignatius said Tiong’s comments were “out of line” in going further than the official line and had put Malaysia in a difficult situation, as Malaysia had recently welcomed Pelosi and was mindful of the fact that the US was an important trading and security partner.

“He appears to be acting on his own, trying to score cheap points with Beijing for whatever reason when he should be taking his cue from both the prime minister and foreign minister,” Ignatius told FMT.

A 36-year veteran in the foreign service, Ignatius said Tiong should be reminded that his role as special envoy was to represent Malaysia and articulate the views of the government.

He was not there to express personal sentiments or, “worse still, articulate Beijing’s position”.

Pelosi, who is Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan on Tuesday as part of an Asian tour. She was the highest-ranking US official to have visited the country, which China regards as a renegade province.

China had described Pelosi’s trip an “egregious provocation.”

Ignatius, who had previously served in Beijing, said the Tiong incident showed up a common problem among some special envoys. “Unlike our career ambassadors, they often have their own interests which are not necessarily the same as the national interest.” - FMT