Lobbying for Taiwan: Spotlight on Coen Blaauw

Lobbying for Taiwan: Spotlight on Coen Blaauw

2023-05-14

The Formosan Association for Public Affairs is a U.S. non-profit that promotes Taiwan’s interests and democracy around the world. The association just celebrated its 40th anniversary in Taiwan. Coen Blaauw, the senior policy adviser to the association, has been a vital part of lobbying for Taiwan and drafting Taiwan-related legislation over his 34-year career. FTV reporter Stephany Yang sat down with Blaauw to learn more about his work.

In recent years, the U.S. Congress has passed numerous bills in support of Taiwan. One driving force behind this is Dutch lawyer Coen Blaauw, senior policy adviser to the Formosan Association for Public Affairs and executive director of the Formosan Association for Public Relations. Blaauw has lobbied for Taiwan’s independence on Capitol Hill for more than three decades. He specializes in drafting Taiwan-related legislation, communicating with members of Congress, and recruiting support for pro-Taiwan legislation. One important bill that he drafted recently is the Taiwan Travel Act, which lifts restrictions on high-level visits of officials to and from Taiwan.

Coen Blaauw
FAPA senior policy adviser
These were self-imposed restrictions by the state department. They were not part in the Taiwan Relations Act. They were not part of any law or legislation. It was just the state department thinking that China would be angry. But at the time already, there was a sentiment in Congress saying that we should never let the Chinese decide who can come to Washington, D.C. and who cannot come to Washington, D.C. So I wrote this legislation already in 2004 and it took several attempts to have it signed into law by President Trump in March 2018. It took 14 years for an idea to materialize into actual action.

In addition, before 1994, Taiwanese immigrants coming to the U.S. had to list their birthplace as "China ’’ in their American passports. Thanks to FAPA’s efforts, Taiwanese Americans can now list “Taiwan” as their birthplace.

Coen Blaauw
FAPA senior policy adviser
I have drafted many pieces of legislation. Probably about 90% of the FAPA pieces of legislation I drafted. Up till 1994, Taiwanese Americans had to list their birthplace "China" in their passports, instead of "Taiwan". To my FAPA members, that was such a sentimental issue and so humiliating to put birthplace "China" in their American passports.They said they would rather burn their American passports than show this wherever I go to other countries. They wanted nothing to do with China. We drafted legislation in 1994. We found a member of Congress to introduce it, Congressman Howard Berman, a big Taiwan supporter from California. He introduced the bill and made sure it passed.

Blaauw is from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He became interested in Taiwan during his university years. He wrote his thesis about Taiwan.

Coen Blaauw
FAPA senior policy adviser
A couple of years before I graduated, the Netherlands sold submarines to Taiwan in 1982. I thought I should write about this submarine deal. What happened at that time was that the People’s Republic of China broke off diplomatic relations with the Netherlands to show what would happen if you become too close to Taiwan. So I wrote my thesis about this. I was invited to go to the University of Maryland for a symposium and I ran into the people of FAPA. They offered me the job. I thought I would do this for one to two years and it is now 34 years later.

In the course of his work for FAPA, Blaauw has worked with many leading figures of Taiwan’s democracy. He’s also faced strong pressure from China and overcome many difficulties.

Coen Blaauw
FAPA senior policy adviser
Historically, we have always faced counteraction from Chinese lobbyists and by the Chinese embassies. The Chinese embassies have 42 lobbyists in their embassy. We only have maybe only one to two. That is already an unfair start. In the past, the Chinese lobbyists have always tried to sabotage FAPA’s work. We even have letters in our office to members congress which says that FAPA is a terrorist organization.

Throughout his career, Blaauw was able to witness Taiwan’s democratization and transformation. He’s proud of what Taiwan has accomplished, but says there’s still much to be done. One of his primary goals is to bring Vice President Lai Ching-te and President Tsai Ing-wen to Washington, D.C. Another goal is to change the name of TECRO, the U.S.-based embassy, from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office to the Taiwan Representative Office.

Coen Blaauw
FAPA senior policy adviser
I think Taipei is a terrible name to be used for an "embassy" that represents the whole country. It is U.S. policy to refer to Taiwan as Taiwan. Not as Chinese Taipei. Not as the Republic of China, not as the Republic of China Taiwan. We believe that the future of Taiwan stands on two pillars and legs. The first leg is U.S. support. The second leg is the will and wish and determination of the 23 million people to keep Taiwan free.

Having lobbied for Taiwan for 34 years, Blaauw hopes to continue the fight for Taiwan’s rights and democracy.

台美關係幕後推手！昆布勞獨家揭露「遊說」秘辛

2023-05-14

剛剛在台灣慶祝成立40周年的非營利組織，台灣人公共事務會(FAPA)，長期致力於倡議及遊說，促進台灣的利益和民主。FAPA資深政策顧問昆布勞34年來，促成許多美國國會友台的法案和決議案的通過，一起來了解。

近年來，美國國會通過了多項挺台法案，其中重要的推手是荷蘭律師昆布勞，他是台灣人公共事務會(FAPA)的資深政策顧問，和FAPA附屬遊說組織台灣人公共關係會(FAPR)執行長。30多年來，昆布勞在國會山莊進行遊說，為台灣倡議。他擅長起草涉台立法，與國會議員溝通，以及為挺台法案尋求支持。「台灣旅行法」就是FAPA與昆布勞遊說的成果，允許台灣高階官員訪美。

[[FAPA資深政策顧問昆布勞]]
"這是國務院自行施加的限制，不屬於「台灣關係法」或任何法條，只是國務院認為中國會生氣，但當時國會已經有一種想法，我們永遠不應該讓中國人決定誰可以來華盛頓，誰不能來。所以我在2004年寫了這個法案，經過幾次嘗試，才在2018年3月由川普總統簽署成為法律。從一個想法到實際付諸實現，花了14年的時間。

此外，1994年以前，台裔美籍人士在護照上的出生地都要寫「中國」，但在FAPA積極遊說議員下，1994年起就能選填「台灣」。

[[FAPA資深政策顧問昆布勞]]
“我發起了很多立法草案，FAPA大概九成的議案都是我起草的。1994年以前，台裔美籍人士在護照上的出生地都要寫「中國」，不能寫「台灣」。我的FAPA成員並不樂見在他們的美國護照上出生地是「中國」，這讓他們感到屈辱，甚至寧願燒掉美國護照也不願在其他國家時出示，他們不想與中國有任何關係。我們在1994年起草了決議案條文，我們找了一位國會議員來提案，他是來自加州、支持台灣的國會議員伯曼，由他提案並推動成功。”

昆布勞來自荷蘭阿姆斯特丹，他在大學期間對台灣產生了興趣，還把台灣作為他的畢業論文題目。

[[FAPA資深政策顧問昆布勞]]
"在我畢業的前幾年，荷蘭在1982年販售潛艇給台灣，我認為我應該寫這個潛艇交易。當時發生的事情是，中華人民共和國將和荷蘭的外交關係降級，表明如果跟台灣太親近就會有這樣的後果，這也成了我的論文主題。我受邀到馬里蘭大學參加研討會，遇到FAPA的成員，他們在找新的人，就給我這份工作，當時是1989年，本以為只會待一、兩年，沒想到一晃眼就34年了。"

在FAPA工作期間，昆布勞曾與許多台灣民主運動人士合作，因此面臨著來自中國的強大壓力，但也克服了很多困難。

[[ FAPA資深政策顧問昆布勞]]
"我們過去總會受到中方的說客和大使館的抵制，他們的大使館有42名說客，我們可能只有一、兩個，這已經是一個不公平的情況。中國說客還一直破壞FAPA的工作。我們辦公室甚至收到信件，寫說FAPA是恐怖組織。"

在昆布勞的整個職業生涯中，他見證了台灣的民主化和轉變，但他表示還有很多工作要做。其中一個重要目標，是邀請副總統賴清德和總統蔡英文到華盛頓。另一個目標是將「駐美台北經濟文化代表處」正名為「台灣代表處」。

[[FAPA資深政策顧問昆布勞]]
"我認為用台北來代表整個國家的大使館是很糟的。我們相信，台灣的未來跟兩個要素息息相關，第一是美國的支持，第二是2300萬人民決心維護台灣的自由。"

昆布勞為台灣從事遊說工作長達34年，他期盼能繼續為台灣的權利和民主而戰。

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Workers fill sinkhole in Taipei’s Xinyi District next to construction site

Ten residents of an alley in Taipei’s Xinyi District have been temporarily displaced after a massive sinkhole forced their evacuation over the weekend. Engineers found the source of the problem: groundwater beneath the alley seeped into a neighboring construction site, hollowing out the earth beneath the alley. The sinkhole has been filled, but more time is needed to assess the safety of the alley’s residential buildings. In the meantime, the city is providing the displaced residents with daily subsidies.

Cement trucks arrived one after the other on Saturday, pouring cement until late in the evening. Finally, the massive sinkhole that appeared earlier in the day in Taipei’s Xinyi District was filled in.

The incident occurred at around 3:13 p.m. along alley no. 60 of Chongde Street, when a sinkhole 15 meters in length, 3 meters wide and between 3 and 4 meters deep appeared. Police and firefighters evacuated residents in the surrounding area posthaste.

Local resident
Between 2:50 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., that whole section of the alley began sinking. At first there was just a small hole, and then less than 5 minutes later, the whole thing collapsed.

Then around 5:00 p.m., another serious subsidence occurred.

A section of the construction barrier for the neighboring construction site collapsed when the subsidence occurred. An initial assessment by workers found that groundwater beneath the alley seeped into the construction site, hollowing out an area beneath the alley and causing the collapse.

Chuang Chun-wei
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The depth of this excavation area is about 12 meters. Fortunately, there is this roadway, because the roadway is about 10 meters wide. As you can see, the collapsed area is just in front of the metal shack in front of the building. By the way things look, it hasn’t affected the foundation of the main structure.

Aside from filling in the sinkhole, water trucks were also brought into the construction site, where they pumped more than 4,000 cubic meters of water into the ground. The aim is to balance the groundwater at the site with that of the surrounding area, to prevent further subsidence. However, some have expressed concerns about the safety of homes along the alley.

Wang Yu-fen
Taipei Department of Urban Development
Ground-penetrating radar will be used to detect whether there are more holes, and the buildings themselves need to be checked to see if there is any tilting, or any related structural damage or cracks. After engineers make an assessment, residents can return to their homes, but it will take another one to two weeks

Chen Kuan-ling
Taipei Xinyi District Office
Everyone who has been temporarily resettled will receive a subsidy of NT$1,600 per day, up to a maximum of seven days. If it goes over that, we will communicate with the construction company. They’ve already promised to cover the difference.

Seven households were evacuated when the subsidence occurred, five of which have been temporarily resettled, accounting for 10 people in total.

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President Tsai honors model mothers who bequeath indigenous languages to their kids

President Tsai Ing-wen used the occasion of Mother’s Day today to honor mothers of indigenous peoples who have successfully passed down their native langue to their kids. Tsai said her government is endeavoring to create an indigenous language-friendly environment, so that more people can pick up and use Taiwan’s native languages. Premier Chen Chien-jen, who was supposed to accompany Tsai, decided not to attend at the last minute due to having tested positive for COVID.

On Mother’s Day, president Tsai came to the Grand Hotel to attend a commendation ceremony for model mothers of indigenous languages. Special awards were given to the indigenous mothers who had passed down their native language to the next generation.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
These model mothers took up the mission of bequeathing indigenous languages to their children on top of working and doing household chores.

There were 52 model moms in attendance. Thanks to their hard work, their kids and even grandkids were able to successfully pick up their mother tongue. Tsai emphasized that the government has been endeavoring to create an indigenous language-friendly environment, so that more people will be able to pick up their mother tongue and that indigenous language can become part of their everyday lives.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
The indigenous languages are the languages of the mothers of the indigenous peoples, and they are also an indispensable voice of Taiwan. Therefore, the government has invested resources to continue the revitalization of the indigenous languages.

Icyang Parod
Minister, Council of Indigenous Peoples
In the future, the Council of Indigenous Peoples will continue to hold commendation ceremonies for exemplary parents on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Let’s work together so that the indigenous languages are used and passed down in more families.

One government official, Premier Chen Chien-jen, who was supposed to accompany the president at the event, was conspicuously absent. It turned out that he had been infected with COVID for the first time.

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Photographer’s existential crisis takes him on creative turn with spin photography

Joshua Lin is one of Taiwan’s most renowned photographers. For over 30 years, he shot the nation’s top celebrities. However, an encounter with a photograph known as the "Pale Blue Dot" changed his perspective entirely. It is a photo of Earth seen from over 6 billion kilometers away in space. It made Lin feel humble about humanity’s place in the universe. This new sense of humility inspired him to experiment with spin photography, a photographic technique by which a series of photos give the impression of an object rotating. Our reporter Stephany Yang takes us to the master’s latest exhibition.

Colorful photos resembling black holes, comets, and moons fill the wall of this studio. At first glance, you won’t even guess that these photographs taken by Joshua Lin are of plants, rocks, water, and a naked body. He set a very low shutter speed and spun the camera quickly when shooting these objects to create this effect.

Joshua Lin
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This one is of a naked model. After she saw the final product, she said: "How did you make me look like this? What about my body?" I think I like it after seeing it. I shot with a slow shutter speed, and the main thing is that I spun the camera. The process of turning the camera requires some skill. It is slow, and the exposure time of a photo is about four seconds. It took two years to shoot these images.

This photo is of water. Lin spun the water and camera to create a circular image. Lin took approximately 100 pictures and finally chose this photo to be displayed at his exhibition.

Joshua Lin
Photographer
I took this photo of water. The shooting method is different. I spun the water and light at the same time. When it was spinning, I covered it a bit so that the final product would look like a moon. It gives off a unique feel. It’s a circle. I didn’t want the spot created by the light to be too obvious, so I kept moving the light at that time. My hands were sore. I took about 100 pictures.

This is a new exhibition from Lin. After dreaming he was visiting space, he decided to experiment with spin photography. The exhibition is titled "Pale Blue Dot," and is inspired by the photograph of the same name, a photo of the earth taken by NASA’s Voyager 1 space probe from 6.4 billion kilometers away in space.

Joshua Lin
Photographer
The theme is a "Pale Blue Dot." This is a photo of small dot taken by the Voyager 1 space probe of the earth from 6.4 billion kilometers away. Scientists wrote a book about it, and I was very moved after reading it. I could see that from such a faraway place how small the earth that I live in is. I am actually very small, so I don’t want to be arrogant. It encourages me to look at the world calmly.

Lin started taking photos in junior high school and has never stopped perfecting his craft. For over 30 years, he has shot portraits of countless celebrities from Taiwan, including model Lin Chi-ling, Puyuma pop star and record producer A-mei, and more. He’s also shot music videos for well-known singers like Jam Hsiao and Wu Bai.

Wu Bai
Singer
His studio is very powerful. Eighty percent of Taiwan’s stars have posed for photos for him here. I think it’s great to hold an exhibition here. If I have the opportunity, it would be great to hold a concert in my own studio.

Joshua Lin
Photographer
I used to take very realistic photos, and most of them were portraits. This time I wanted to break away from shooting realistic photos and make them more abstract, and not such direct shots of tangible objects. Everyone’s reaction to these photos may be different. After this exhibition, I plan to shoot even more unique photos. Going in for commercial photography is extremely passive. You give the client whatever he wants. This is a creative venture. I can do whatever I want. I can shoot whatever I want to shoot. It gives me some balance. Being creative is very important to me.

Lin’s exhibition will be held at his own studio, Abook Studio, till May 21.

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When I was curating this solo exhibition for Lin, I suggested that he hold his exhibition in his own private studio, Abook Studio, because this venue is usually not open to the public. The public can come here and also see all the works that Lin has produced over the years. Whether it is his commercial works, fashion photos, or other artistic works, they are all shot here.

Lin says he will continue experimenting with spin photography as well as continue to master his craft in commercial and fashion photography.

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Mr. Chang
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We want to wake people up to be more mindful of their capabilities, to prevent and slow down the onset of dementia, and reduce the decline of people’s abilities.

Statistics from last year showed that 18% of Taiwan’s population was aged 65 or over. The health of older people is a serious concern for policymakers. They hope these regular self-assessments will support the public to take good care of themselves and stay classy while they do it – just like this gentleman.

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