The nation's application to become a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP) has become deadlocked due to opposition from China, officials said yesterday.
Deputy Minister of the National Science Council Hung-Duen Yang (
Taiwan applied for observer status in the CSTP on May 30 and is waiting to proceed to the second review stage.
"We have passed the first stage of review, the technical review, after the organization read and approved the `Overview of Science & Technology Policy in Taiwan' document which detailed our science and technology policy," Yang said.
In accordance with OECD procedure, the second stage of the review process is political, and it is this process which the Chinese government is interfering in, he said.
"We have learned that China, which is also an observer at the CSTP, continues to dissuade the organization against putting Taiwan's application on the agenda," Yang said.
As a result, despite the fact that the nation's application passed the first stage of review on Oct. 24, it hasn't advanced to the second stage, he said.
Shih said that "while China is not a member of the OECD, the organization has prioritized cooperation with Beijing, a move which reflects its members' desire to enhance their economic ties with China."
He said that China had been trying to build a case that Taiwan's membership application was politically motivated.
"To combat China's efforts, the government has decided to focus purely on issues related to science and technology. For example, we have informed the OECD's members that we have signed more than 70 bilateral technology agreements with about 30 countries, 12 of which are OECD members," Shih said.
RSS