Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Andrew Kao told a parliamentary session in Taipei yesterday that Taipei had expressed regret at embarrassing the United States after a Taiwanese flag-raising ceremony in Washington sparked US criticism and Beijing's anger. He said "This is an isolated incident. We regret that it caused the US inconvenience. We have an understanding [with the US] and we will continue to enhance communication." Taiwan's flag was raised over its de facto embassy in Washington on New Year's Day for the first time since the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on January 6, 2015, that the US was "disappointed with the action", while Beijing on January 5, 2015, had "resolutely opposed" the flag-raising and had lodged a protest with the US.
Taiwan's de facto Ambassador Shen Lyu-shun, who made the decision to raise the flag, was subjected to fierce grilling in the parliamentary session, but defended the move and said his office had deliberately not informed the US government about the flag-raising. Shen Lyu-shun said "It was a goodwill gesture. If [mainland] China protests, you can say you didn't know."
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