Biden criticized for interrupting Taiwan speech during democracy summit
Audrey Tang gives her speech and behind her is the map that angered China.
About "Taiwan News"
Senator Marco Rubio, considered one of the most important figures in the Republican Party, asked US President Joe Biden, the day before yesterday, to apologize after interrupting the broadcast of a speech by a Taiwanese minister during the Democracy Summit.
During the virtual summit organized by Washington on Friday, Taiwan's Minister of Digital Affairs, Audrey Tang, was speaking live when the broadcast of her speech was cut off.
During her talk, Audrey Tang appeared in front of a map showing Taiwan and mainland China in different colors to illuminate the two levels of democracy, but which could also be interpreted as recognition of the island's independence, which Beijing could not afford.
In his letter, Rubio, who supports a hard line towards China, accused Joe Biden of compromising Beijing, and asked why Taiwan was not represented by its head of state or government, like other participants in the summit.
"By reducing Taiwan's representation, your administration has only sent a signal of weakness, and has not solved any problem," he said.
The senator asked the president to correct his mistake with Taiwan, including during the second democracy summit scheduled for next year.
A US State Department official denied the action was intentional, noting that Tang's speech was available in full online.
"There was confusion about screen sharing, and this led to the video streaming being cut off," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
It was really wrong.”
"We respect Secretary Tang's speech, which highlights issues of transparent governance, human rights and combating disinformation, all of which are areas in which Taiwan has a world-class level of expertise," the same official added.
Beijing criticized the summit, stressing that the United States is using democracy as a "weapon of mass destruction."
Taiwan, the self-governing island that China considers an inalienable part of its territory, was invited to the summit in an apparent provocation to China.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news