Brian McDonald, principal administrator of the European Commission's Directorate General for Trade, has been tipped as the EU's first trade representative to Taiwan, the Taipei Times has learned.
Sources in Brussels and Taipei confirmed that McDonald, an Irish national, has been picked to lead the EU's new trade office in Taipei, which is set to open next month, although the EU has yet to make a formal announcement.
"Brian McDonald is going to Taipei. That's for sure," a source at the European Commission said in a phone interview on Friday.
Officials in Taipei contacted earlier Friday either tacitly confirmed the appointment or said it's up to the EU to make the announcement.
McDonald was not available for immediate comment on Friday.
While a government source said McDonald is slated to reach Taipei on Feb. 7, sources in Brussels said it's not clear when the new representative will arrive because certain administrative procedures must still be completed.
Next to the Sherwood Hotel Taipei, the new EU office will be located within the Union Bank Building at 109 Minsheng E Rd Sec. 3, sources said.
McDonald has abundant experience in EU-related matters and has taught and written on trade.
He has worked at the European Commission (EC) since 1973.
He taught a course on trade policy and the WTO at Yale in the US during the 2001-2002 academic year as a visiting EU fellow.
Within the commission, he has served as coordinator of Asia trade policy. McDonald was the first counselor at the EC's office in Hong Kong, sources said.
He has also written extensively on trade-related topics, including the book The World Trading System: The Uruguay Round and Beyond, published in 1998.
EU External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten in the latest issue of the European Voice, a Brussels-based weekly journal, said the new EU office in Taipei would open next month.
"It will be an economic and trade office, and it will cover the full range of areas where we have a relationship with Taiwan, including science, technology and education," the European Voice quoted Patten as saying.
"The office will not, obviously, have diplomatic status, and will not engage in political issues," Patten said.
Patten also dismissed criticism that he and the EU have turned their backs on Taiwan in favor of China -- a view expressed by Antonio Chiang (江春男), deputy secretary-general of National Security Council, in the publication's Nov. 28 to Dec. 4 issue.
"We rightly stick to the principle of `one China' -- but that doesn't mean we are any the less engaged with Taiwan, which is an important economic partner of the EU," Patten was quoted as saying.
"On the institutional level, we are about to open a new office in Taiwan: not obviously a sign that we are turning our backs. People have been asking us to do this for years," Patten said.
Patten said the new EU office goes beyond ensuring Taiwan meets the terms of its WTO obligations. He said it's sensible to maintain good relations "on the ground" with Taiwan, which is the EU's third largest trading partner in Asia.
Twelve EU member states already have trade offices in Taipei.
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