Taiwan’s former ambassador to Nicaragua is still bound by Taiwan’s official secrets act, despite his retirement earlier last year. The foreign ministry’s clarification on Tuesday comes amid concerns over the possible disclosure of confidential information by former ambassador Jaime Wu.
The Nicaraguan government granted citizenship to Wu, shortly after Nicaragua severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in early December.
The end of diplomatic ties between the two countries means 14 countries worldwide now grant Taiwan official recognition.
Wu retired from the foreign service in November.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou says the foreign ministry was not informed in advance that Nicaragua would grant citizenship to Wu. She says that Wu is still bound by the Classified National Security Information Protection Act, despite his retirement.
Ou says that the foreign ministry is in contact with Wu. She says it would be more appropriate for Wu himself to address people’s concerns over confidentiality, given that he is no longer a civil servant.