The United States has apologised to Taiwan after the island's de facto ambassador to Washington was fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival in the country, despite his diplomatic status, an official said Sunday.
Newly appointed David Ta Wei Lee was fingerprinted and photographed at Washington's Dulles International Airport last month even after US officials there to meet him explained his status, under which he would normally avoid such a process.
"The US Department of State and AIT (American Institute in Taiwan) acting chairman and managing director William Brown have voiced apologies to Lee," Taiwan's foreign ministry spokesman Richard Shih told AFP.
AIT has handled civil contacts between Washington and Taipei since the United States switched its diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979.
Shih dismissed suggestions that the diplomatic bungle was a sign of poor relations between Taipei and Washington.
"Some US customs officials were not familiar with their duties because of job transfer," Shih said. "The US government has promised such event would not happen again."
Relations between Taipei and the United States soured when Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, announced plans to hold a referendum on peace efforts with rival China alongside presidential polls in March.
Washington feared the referendum would intensify cross-strait tensions and lead to a vote on independence for Taiwan, which China would not tolerate.
China believes Taiwan is part of its territory, despite their split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.
Chen eventually modified the plan after he was heavily criticised by US President George W. Bush.
Lee's predecessor, Chen Chien-jen, has insisted the bilateral ties were back on track, saying they were "very, very good."
The United States is the leading arms supplier to Taiwan, which China has threatened to invade should it declare formal independence.
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