方恩格專欄》讓我們再辦一場取暖派對
世界衛生大會（WHA）將於瑞士日內瓦登場，臺灣今年仍未獲邀參與，不過外交部長林佳龍罕見前往舉辦城市。（圖／摘自林佳龍臉書）
筆者經常批評臺灣政府熱衷舉辦各種國際論壇，而這些活動最貼切的形容，莫過於一場又一場的「取暖派對」（pity party）。這種作風始於蔡英文政府，而賴清德政府則延續。
臺灣政府舉辦的衆多取暖派對中，最著名的莫過於每年世界衛生大會（WHA）期間在場邊舉行的相關活動。筆者曾先後評論過臺灣政府舉辦的取暖派對，包括在2021年的世界衛生大會、2021年蘇格蘭COP26氣候峰會、2022年世界衛生大會、2022年在臺北舉行的「世界民主運動」全球大會、2023年世界衛生大會、2024年世界衛生大會，以及2025年世界衛生大會。
然而，臺灣政府顯然還沒辦夠這些取暖派對。最近的例子就有一長串：
一、玉山論壇：今年4月，臺灣舉辦一年一度的玉山論壇。這項活動原本以推動新南向政策爲主，但近年來愈來愈偏離初衷，轉而聚焦臺歐關係等其他議題。今年的論壇尤其給人一種「重量不重質」的感覺，最終也逐漸淪爲另一場取暖派對。
二、哥本哈根民主峰會：5月12日，賴清德透過視訊向哥本哈根民主峰會發表演說。該峰會由民主聯盟基金會主辦，這並非什麼突破。蔡英文從2020年至2024年便年年以視訊方式參與，卸任後甚至於2025年親自出席。每年對着同一場活動發表大同小異的演說，若用川普的話來說，這並不能展現實力。
三、世界衛生大會取暖活動：5月中旬，外交部長林佳龍前往瑞士日內瓦參加臺灣每年在世界衛生大會場邊舉辦的取暖活動。有人或許認爲這是突破，因爲過去通常只有衛福部長出席，今年則首次有外交部長參加。但結果依然相同：臺灣所稱的「志同道合國家」照例發表聲明，支持臺灣實質參與世界衛生大會及世界衛生組織（WHO）。然而，這些國家仍然照常與中國一同參與世界衛生大會。
筆者真正會對這項年度取暖活動留下深刻印象的時候，是當這些志同道合國家願意以抵制世界衛生大會的方式來表達對臺灣的支持。至於美國，由於已退出世界衛生組織，也無法再爲臺灣提供協助。
四、全球安全論壇：同樣在5月中旬，林佳龍前往捷克參加由智庫主辦的「全球安全論壇」。這也談不上突破，因爲前外交部長吳釗燮過去便曾在該論壇發表演說。
五、捷克智庫論壇：5月底，捷克智庫「2000論壇」在臺北舉辦「民主合作論壇」。而在3月，另一個捷克智庫也曾在臺北舉辦「捷克－臺灣民主韌性與跨區域對話論壇」。
類似活動還有很多，2025年臺灣主辦了全球數位人權大會（RightsCon），但2026年的活動卻因中國向主辦國施壓，反對臺灣代表參與而遭取消。同樣在2025年，臺灣主辦了亞太國會議員聯合會年會，由於臺灣無法加入其他國際或區域性的國會議員組織，因此只能另闢蹊徑。
2024年，臺灣主辦了對中政策跨國議會聯盟（IPAC）年會。2022年，臺灣主辦了世界民主運動全球大會。拜登政府執政期間，臺灣積極爭取參與2021年、2023年與2024年的「民主峰會」，然而川普已停止舉辦這項活動，因此臺灣過去投入的大量心力，如今看來似乎徒勞無功。
臺灣民主基金會本身已是鮮爲人知的「東亞民主論壇」秘書處。2019年，臺灣曾舉辦「印太地區保衛宗教自由公民社會對話」，2022年又改名爲「區域宗教自由論壇」再度舉辦。疫情前的2019年，臺北舉辦了「臺北民主城市高峰會」，在臺中又舉辦了「全球現代直接民主論壇」。
更早以前，陳水扁執政時期，臺灣民主基金會還曾舉辦「亞洲民主化論壇」。然而令人遺憾的是，總部設於波蘭的多邊政府組織「民主社羣」至今不接受臺灣成爲會員國，儘管雙方已於2025年簽署合作備忘錄。另一方面，由法國政府與歐洲委員會共同舉辦的「世界民主論壇」，似乎也將臺灣排除在外。
總統府、外交部、臺灣民主基金會、臺灣亞洲交流基金會以及其他政府機構，難道擁有用之不竭的預算來舉辦這些活動？令人意外的是，國民黨與民衆黨很少質疑這些活動是否真正爲臺灣帶來實質效益。或許，兩黨也希望有朝一日若能在2028年執政，自己也能與臺灣的外國朋友們共同舉辦這類取暖派對。
筆者過去曾主張，臺灣應停止爭取參加那些根本不願接納臺灣的國際組織。以世界衛生大會與世界衛生組織爲例，臺灣不妨等待對方有朝一日主動邀請臺灣參與。或者，臺灣也可以期待川普創建一個新的「志同道合國家衛生組織」，讓臺灣加入其中。這樣的做法，反而更能維護臺灣的尊嚴。
遺憾的是，目前臺灣的政策似乎只有：讓我們再辦一場取暖派對。
（作者爲美國共和黨海外部前亞太區主任）
Taiwan’s Pity Parties Keep Coming!
By Ross Darrell Feingold
Former Asia Chairman, Republicans Abroad
Twitter: @RossFeingold
This author frequently criticizes the Taiwan government’s habit of organizing international forums that can best be described as a “pity party”. Former President Tsai Ing-wen began this habit, and President William Lai Ching-te has continued it.
Among the most well-known of the Taiwan government organized pity parties is the one held on the sidelines of the annual World Health Assembly. This author commented on various pity parties organized by the Taiwan government in 2021 on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, also in 2021 on the sidelines of the COP 26 meeting in Scotland, in 2022 on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly and also in 2022 for an event held in Taipei called the “World Movement for Democracy Global Assembly” held in Taipei, in 2023 for the World Health Assembly, in 2024 for the World Health Assembly, and again in 2025 for the World Health Assembly.
But the Taiwan government is not done with the pity parties!
The list of recent pity parties is very long.
1. In April, Taiwan hosted the annual Yushan Forum, which, this year seemed to focus on the quantity, rather than the quality, of the guests. Although intended to focus on Taiwan’s “New Southbound Policy”, this event has increasingly become focused on other issues such as Taiwan’s relations with Europe, and, sadly, has become a pity party.
2. On May 12, President Lai spoke via video to the Copenhagen Democracy Summit organized by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation. This is not a breakthrough. President Tsai spoke to this event via video in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020, and in the capacity of former president, attended in person in 2025.
Speaking every year to the same event by video, with a similar message, is not, as President Trump would say, showing strength.
3. In mid-May, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung visited Switzerland for Taiwan’s annual pity party on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly. Some might call Lin Chia-lung’s participation a “breakthrough” because it was the first time for the foreign minister to attend this event, in addition to the health and welfare minister who usually attends. However, the result was the same: The countries that Taiwan likes to call “like minded countries” issued statements of support for Taiwan’s substantive participation in the World Health Assembly and World Health Organization. These countries continue to participate in the World Health Assembly together with China.
This author will only be impressed with Taiwan’s annual World Health Assembly pity party when it results in the “like minded countries” boycotting the World Health Assembly to show their support for Taiwan’s participation.
As for the United States, it has withdrawn from the World Health Organization, and can no longer assist Taiwan.
4. Also in mid-May, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung visited Czechia to attend the GLOBSEC Forum organized by the GLOBSEC think tank. This is also not a breakthrough, because former Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has previously spoken at this event.
5. In late May, a think tank based in Czechia called “Forum 2000” held a “Forum for Democratic Cooperation” in Taipei. In March, a different think tank from Czechia held the “Czechia–Taiwan Forum on Democratic Resilience and Cross-Regional Dialogue” in Taipei.
There are many other similar events. In 2025, Taiwan hosted “RightsCON”, only for the event in 2026 to be cancelled because of China’s pressure on the host country due to the participation of delegates from Taiwan. Also in 2025, Taiwan hosted the “Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union General Assembly” (Taiwan is excluded from other regional and global organizations that bring together members of parliaments).
In 2024, Taiwan hosted the annual meeting of the Inter Parliamentary Alliance on China.
In 2022, Taiwan hosted the Taiwan hosted the World Movement for Democracy Global Assembly.
During the Biden Administration, Taiwan was desperate to participate in the “Summit for Democracy” that was held in 2021, 2023 and 2024. President Trump has discontinued this event, thus, Taiwan’s efforts to participate appears to have been a waste of time.
The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy is already the secretariat for a little-known organization called the “East Asia Democracy Forum”. In 2019, Taiwan also hosted a “A Civil Society Dialogue on Securing Religious Freedom in the Indo-Pacific Region”, an event that was held again in 2022 though the name was changed to “Regional Religious Freedom Forum”.
Before the pandemic, in 2019 there was a “Taipei Democracy City Summit” in Taipei, and a “Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy” in Taichung.
Earlier, under former President Chen Shui-bian, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy organized a “World Forum for Democratization in Asia”.
Unfortunately for Taiwan, the Poland-based multilateral government organization called the Community of Democracies does not permit Taiwan to be a member state though in 2025 a memorandum of understanding was signed with Taiwan.
The World Forum for Democracy, a large event organized by the government of France and the Council of Europe, appears to exclude Taiwan.
Does the Presidential Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation and other government organizations have an endless budget for these events?
The two opposition political parties, the Chinese Nationalist Party and Taiwan People’s Party, rarely question whether the money spent on these events has any substantive value for Taiwan. Perhaps the two opposition political parties hope that if they get a chance to govern in 2028, they will get to organize pity parties with Taiwan’s foreign friends.
This author has previously written that Taiwan should stop trying to seek participation in any international organization that does not want Taiwan to participate. For example, for the World Health Assembly and World Health Organization, Taiwan can wait for when, and if, it begs Taiwan to participate. Alternatively, Taiwan can hope that Trump will create a new “Like Minded Countries Health Organization” that Taiwan can join. Such an approach would better maintain Taiwan’s dignity!
Unfortunately, for now, Taiwan’s policy seems to be, let’s keep having a pity party.