Taiwanese Foreign Minister Mark Chen Tan-sun refused to apologise to Singapore yesterday for a remark in which he described the city-state as a 'country the size of a piece of dried mucus'.
He said he had apologised only to the Taiwanese people and whoever felt uncomfortable with his language.
Political analysts said Mr Chen's position reflected the view of certain senior officials who had become increasingly frustrated at Taiwan's unsuccessful efforts to win international recognition due to non-stop suppression from the mainland.
According to Taiwanese media, Mr Chen was summoned to a meeting headed by Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday morning. A cabinet spokesman later said Mr Yu asked Mr Chen to handle the incident with 'caution and discretion'. He said Mr Chen was also asked to fully explain his comments.
In a private meeting with a group of pro-independence supporters on Monday, Mr Chen shocked his guests by saying: 'Even a country the size of a piece of dried mucus brazenly criticised Taiwan ...in the United Nations.'
He was angry at comments by Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo, who at the UN General Assembly last Friday said Taiwan could endanger other Asian nations if pro-independence groups continued to pursue a split with the mainland.
