Guyana canceled the agreement, the Taiwan authorities blamed the mainland with ulterior motives, and Taiwan media: the DPP’s bragging and political manipulation should be blamed
[Global Times reporter Cheng Dong] The DPP authorities only announced that they would set up a "Taiwan office" in Guyana. Unexpectedly, changes occurred in one day. Guyana's cancellation of the agreement caused an uproar in the island.
Blame "Mainland Suppression"
Taiwan’s “Ministry of Foreign Affairs” announced the establishment of an “Taiwan Office with Official Representative Status” in Guyana on the 4th, and the United States immediately congratulated.
But in less than 24 hours, Guyana’s Foreign Minister Todd told the Associated Press that allowing the Taiwan authorities to set up an office was purely to strengthen economic, trade and investment. After meeting with the Mainland’s Chargé d’affaires in Guyana on the 4th, he cancelled the agreement with the Taiwan authorities. Agreement, but he did not disclose the details of the conversation.
Guyana also issued a statement stating that, while adhering to the one-China policy and diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, the government of Guyana has not established any diplomatic ties or relations with Taiwan, and the agreement with Taiwan is a communication error and has been terminated.
Guyana media reported that the opposition coalition believed that the ruling party’s decision to allow Taiwan to set up an office was a “great diplomatic error”, which was a great harm to Guyana’s relations with the mainland. It would take a long time to repair and re-establish mutual trust. The ruling party must immediately abandon such an unwise diplomatic line.
Unexpectedly, the DPP authorities blamed the so-called "mainland suppression."
Taiwan’s “Ministry of Foreign Affairs” stated on the 5th that it was still unable to change Guyana’s decision after many efforts, and it “deeply regretted this”.
Taiwan’s “Executive President” Su Zhenchang said on the 6th that the mainland’s doing so “would not help improve cross-strait relations...no need to have illusions about China”.
Tsai Ing-wen claimed that "diplomatic challenges" have always been there, "but Taiwanese will not bow to adversity, and Taiwan's firm determination to go global will never change because of this."
A statement published on the 7th by the pro-green Freedom Newspaper also stated that the mainland "has been banning Taiwan all the way internationally, so that Taiwan will not have a chance to see the light."
Considered to "step on Beijing's red line"
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Mainland China, said that the poor performance of the DPP authorities is destined to be laughable and generous; Guyana's timely correction of errors is beneficial to the overall situation of bilateral relations.
Facts have once again proved that the one-China principle is a universally recognized norm of international relations and the universal consensus of the international community.
Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Mainland's State Council, also said that the so-called "diplomatic breakthroughs" played up by the DPP authorities will only insult itself and end in failure.
China Times Electronic News believes that this time the Taiwan authorities set up an economic and trade representative office in Guyana to break the situation. It should be blamed on the excessive bragging and political operation of the DPP. It was slapped in the face in less than a day. The most humiliating one."
The relationship between Taiwan and Guyana was originally alienated. Most of the green media and DPP officials did not know that the "father of the nation" of Guyana was a descendant of overseas Chinese with higher education, and the relationship between the country and the mainland had historical origins. Nixon established diplomatic relations with the mainland before he visited the mainland.
The article analyzes that the DPP, which has been criticized for its governance, will seek Guyana to operate in order to show its face to the Biden government internationally. Of course, the purpose is not to promote economic, trade and cultural relations, but only to use it as a "diplomatic" battlefield. Chess pieces are used to anger Beijing and deceive the people of Taiwan.
The United Daily News stated on the 7th that Guyana’s establishment had revealed “unusual signs” from the very beginning; Tsai Ing-wen’s authorities called it a “major diplomatic breakthrough”, highlighting that it was the second “Taiwan” named after Somaliland. office.
However, during the interview, Guyana Foreign Minister Todd said that he does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country and has not established diplomatic relations. Taiwan has set up a trade and investment office to do business for private enterprises.
The newspaper stated that if the name "Taipei" is maintained, an office may be established, but adding a remote representative office may not have much propaganda value and is not conducive to the DPP's hype. As a result, the consequence of naming "Taiwan" is to be slapped.
The China Times also stated that the DPP authorities were able to set up a representative office in Somaliland under the name of "Taiwan" last year, mainly because the mainland did not recognize Somaliland at all. For countries with diplomatic relations, the difficulty of opening the museum is different. “To insist on using the name of Taiwan is definitely to step on the red line of Beijing”.
"Guyana pierces the imagination of Taiwan independence"
In response to this setback, Fei Hongtai, the chief convener of the KMT "Legislative Yuan" party group, said bluntly, "Diplomacy pays attention to strength. This time it took a lot of resources and manpower. In the end, there was only one day of fireworks. It really feels like I lost my wife and broke down."
Gong Guowei, a scholar at Tamkang University, noticed that on the day the Taiwan authorities announced that they would set up a "Taiwan Office" in Guyana, the United States issued a statement expressing its "appreciation"; but after the incident turned around, the United States only expressed its support for Taiwan as "solid as a rock." Without accusing the mainland, this "symbolizes that the Biden administration's support for Taiwan is obviously weakening, and Taiwan's situation in Latin America may be very difficult in the future."
Veteran media person Sun Yangming wrote on the 7th that the DPP authorities wanted to use the name "Taiwan" in Guyana because they chose to collide with Beijing. In other words, "without the 1992 consensus, there would be no diplomatic truce."
Former Taiwan’s “Foreign Minister” Cheng Jianren also said that the Tsai Ing-wen’s administration ignores the importance of cross-strait relations, which will definitely be very detrimental to Taiwan in the long run.
"Guyana pierced the imagination of Taiwan independence", a comment published in the China Times on the 7th stated that in order to open up international space, the Democratic Progressive Party was willing to serve as a pawn in the Trump administration's "anti-China" fight, and even opened up the import of pigs regardless of the health of the people. The result was only lip service from the United States, but not really.
After Biden took office, he reiterated the One China policy and stopped rampaging. "In fact, the First China is a bronze wall that the DPP must face in the international community." The Guyana incident is the latest example.
An editorial in the "United Daily News" on the 7th also stated that the Tsai authorities clearly misjudged the situation: Guyana and Venezuela have borders and fishing disputes, the mainland has a deep relationship with Venezuela, and the United States is at odds with Venezuela. In recent years, Guyana discovered oil deposits and served last year. US Secretary of State Pompeo also visited to lobby for US companies.
The DPP authorities overestimated the influence of the United States and underestimated the bottom-line thinking of the mainland.