China tried
to pressure US forum
"He Yafei turned around and said to me that we're very
unhappy about all these Taiwan speakers you're having at the
press club."
--Peter Hickman, with the National Press Club
FREEDOM
OF SPEECH:
The evening before four high-ranking Taiwanese officials were
to speak at the National Press Club in Washington, a Chinese
embassy official tried to persuade the club to stop letting
Taiwanese speak up
2002/01/06 Taipei
times
By Charles Snyder
STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
The Chinese Embassy in Washing-ton made an attempt recently
to get the National Press Club to stop allowing speakers from
Taiwan to use the venue for press conferences and speeches,
but was strongly rebuffed by press club officers, the Taipei
Times has learned.
The attempt was made at a private dinner hosted by the embassy's
No.2 man, He Yafei (何亞非), for the club's president Richard Ryan
and speakers committee vice chairman Peter Hickman at He's residence
on Dec. 11.
That was the evening before Cabinet Secretary-General Chiou
I-jen (邱義仁) and three other top Taiwan officials held a press
conference at the club at the start of a visit to discuss the
results of the Dec. 1 elections with US officials.
Ryan and Hickman were invited to the He's dinner by embassy
spokesman Xie Feng during a luncheon at the club several days
earlier. Hickman had invited Xie to the get-acquainted lunch
when Xie extended the invitation.
"As soon as I sat down [to drinks before the dinner],
He Yafei turned around and said to me that we're very unhappy
about all these Taiwan speakers you're having at the press club,"
Hickman said. "Since he started off like that, I responded
in a like manner. I said, `you're going to be more unhappy tomorrow
morning, because there are four more coming.'"
The Chinese diplomat responded by saying something to the effect
that, "you are supporting their point of view by giving
them a platform to speak from," Hickman said.
"I said, `No, we're not,' and
I paused to let it sink in. He kind of looked at me and I said,
`the press club does not take political points of view. The
idea is free speech, freedom of expression.'"
Ryan declined to discuss the evening, saying he considered
it a "personal dinner."
But he rejected any Chinese effort to block speakers from Taiwan.
"I feel that we should have anyone
who has something to say to be able to speak at the press club,"
Ryan said. He apparently showed up at the dinner after the initial
exchange between Hickman and He took place.
He Yafei later mentioned the invitation Ryan extended to President
Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) last year to speak at the club, saying
the invitation was "very dangerous; it could have severe
repercussions," Hickman recalled.
While Chen accepted the invitation, the US State Department
apparently stepped in to block his appearance.
Ryan said he would extend another invitation.
"I would certainly welcome him
to come and speak," he said.
If the Chinese objected, Ryan said he would tell them, "No
... if [Chen] would like to speak here, we would certainly provide
him the platform for him to do that. I think that his point
of view is something that we ought to hear."
Although the main purpose of He's dinner appeared to be to
try to block future speakers from Taiwan, the rest of the evening
was "very pleasant," and Taiwan did not come up, Hickman
said.
