A State Department source told Breitbart News on Monday that the Biden National Security Council (NSC) directed the State Department to cut the live video feed of a Taiwanese minister after she featured a map of Taiwan in a different color than China, indicating they were separate countries, during the Biden administration’s “Summit for Democracy” last week.
“The NSC called and asked for it to be taken down,” the source told Breitbart News on Monday.
The source’s account echoed what Reuters first reported Monday and contradicted what Biden administration officials say happened.
Reuters reported on Monday that during the summit, sources said the feed of Taiwanese Minister was cut during a panel discussion and replaced with audio only “at the behest of the White House.” According to Reuters:
The White House was concerned that differentiating Taiwan and China on a map in a U.S.-hosted conference — to which Taiwan had been invited in a show of support at a time when it is under intense pressure from Beijing — could be seen as being at odds with Washington’s ‘one-China’ policy, which avoids taking a position as to whether Taiwan is part of China, the sources said.
However, after the move drew criticism across Washington, Biden administration sources told the Washington Post that the decision to “temporarily interrupt the Taiwanese official’s video feed at the Democracy Summit was made at the technical level at the State [Department], not directed by the White House or the NSC.”
But the source at the State Department with knowledge of the matter told Breitbart News on Monday, “It sounds like from reporting, the White House is trying to blame the State Department. It absolutely was not the case.”
The source said there was a run-through prior to the live panel discussion and the map was not seen during the run-through. But during the event, when the map appeared, the NSC was allegedly “taken aback and they were scrambling and they asked the State Department to shut it off.”
“It was absolutely not the State Department that took the initiative to do that,” the source told Breitbart News. “This was purely coming from the NSC that told them to shut it off.” It is not clear who at the NSC directed it.
Reuters also reported the map had “generated an instant email flurry among U.S. officials and the White House National Security Council (NSC) angrily contacted the State Department, concerned it appeared to show Taiwan as a distinct country.” It also reported that a second source directly involved in the summit said the video booth operator “acted on the White House instructions.”
Washington even complained to Taiwan’s government, which in turn was angry that Tang’s video had been cut, Reuters reported.
A State Department spokesperson told Breitbart News that during Minister Tang’s presentation, “there was confusion over the use of screen sharing, which resulted in the video feed being dropped,” and that it was “an honest mistake.”
The spokesperson also noted that the summit’s webpage now has a link to a fully-uncensored video of Tang’s remarks.
An NSC spokesman told Breitbart News:
This reporting in Reuters is inaccurate. At no time did the White House direct that Minister Tang’s video feed be cut. Confusion related to the unexpected use of screen-sharing led to the minister’s video being temporarily dropped. Minister Tang’s video can be viewed in its entirety on the Summit for Democracy’s webpage.We valued Minister Tang’s participation, which showcased Taiwan’s world-class expertise on issues of transparent governance, human rights, and countering disinformation.
In the original video feed of the summit, the map appeared behind Tang the first time she spoke, but the second time she spoke, there was only audio with a graphic of her name (as seen in video below).
A disclaimer then appeared onscreen at the end of the panel that said: “Any opinions expressed by individuals on this panel are those of the individual, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States government.”
The cutting of the feed undermined the Biden administration’s attempt to highlight Taiwan’s inclusion in the U.S. summit, to which China was not invited.
Now, the takeaway may be the attempted censorship of Taiwan to appease China, who was reportedly already angry about not being invited. China has in the past expressed anger with private companies with products or marketing material that suggest Taiwan is a country separate from China.
It is just the latest in a series of Biden administration gaffes on Taiwan. President Joe Biden has said several times the U.S. would come to the aid of Taiwan militarily if China attempted to invade it, only to have those remarks immediately walked back by unnamed White House officials, since it is not official U.S. policy.
U.S. policy only acknowledges — but does not recognize — China’s stance that Taiwan is part of China and that the dispute between China and Taiwan should be resolved peacefully. The U.S. maintains robust unofficial diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and supplies Taiwan with military equipment under the Taiwan Relations Act.
Republicans blasted the alleged censoring of the map.
“Biden’s staff censored Taiwan during a ‘Democracy Summit’ hosted by the White House. You can’t make this up,” tweeted Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).
Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN) tweeted: “Biden’s team censored Taiwan, our democratic partner *at the Summit for Democracies* just to appease the #CCP … Spineless and disgraceful!”
Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) tweeted, “Has the Biden White House completely forgotten that the U.S. and Taiwan are allies? Censoring a Taiwanese minister to appease the #CCP is a dangerous step to take.”
Amanda Rothschild, a former Trump administration official, called it “an embarrassing moment for the U.S.”
“It projects weakness and sends a bad message to likeminded partners and allies who support freedom and oppose the Chinese Communist Party,” she said.
Follow Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong on Twitter or on Facebook.
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