The mayor of Brisbane yesterday denounced the Australian government's decision not to grant Minister of Transportation and Communication Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) an entry visa to visit next month saying it was just "playing politics" between Taiwan and China.
Jim Soorley, lord mayor of Brisbane, which is the capital of Australia's northern state of Queensland, told the Taipei Times by phone yesterday that "The Liberal [Party] government is always trying to play politics between Taiwan and China. I refuse to do it."
"I am committed to building relationships with both China and Taiwan," Soorley added.
Soorley had invited Yeh earlier this year to visit Brisbane over July and August. But the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in late May it would refuse to grant Yeh a visa.
While the transportation ministry had received and accepted the official invitation, no application for an entry visa had yet been filed nor had any detailed preparations for the trip been made, said an official at the ministry.
A spokesman for Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Monday that Yeh's visit would "not be convenient" in light of "current developments in [Australia's] relations with Taiwan and China." The ministry said Australia's relationship with Taiwan is administered in light of the "one China" policy and that Soorley's "lack of understanding" of the country's ties with China and Taiwan had led to the "embarrassment of the Taiwanese minister."
But Soorley said Downer was to blame for the debacle accusing him of being incapable of managing ties between two of Australia's important trade partners.
"I fully support the `one China' policy but it seems that Minister Downer is the only foreign minister in the world who can't manage two relationships at once," he said.
"There is no logic to this decision. The minister can't escape his responsibilities to look after all of our relationships," he said.
Yeh was set to inspect a new rail link to the Brisbane airport and discuss with local business leaders other areas of cooperation on trade and technology, Soorley said. He emphasized the importance of Queensland in Australia's overall trade relationship with Taiwan.
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