For the first time since Canada ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1970, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador in Canada was invited by the Canadian Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade to testify on the latest developments in cross-strait relations.
Addressing concerns from some senators about the implications for Taiwan’s sovereignty once a free trade-type agreement is signed by China and Taiwan, David Lee (李大維), Taiwan’s representative in Canada, said the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) was exclusively about business and trade relations and would in no way diminish Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Invited along with Australian High Commissioner Justin Brown, Lee’s appearance on Wednesday was an historic event because a Taiwanese government representative was able to appear before a Canadian parliamentary committee in an official capacity for the first time since Canada switched diplomatic recognition to China.
The committee has also heard testimony from government officials, academics, political pundits, entrepreneurs, Indian High Commissioner Shashishekhar M. Gavai and Chinese Ambassador Lan Lijun (蘭立俊) as part of a special study on the rise of China, India and Russia in the global economy and the implications for Canadian policy over the past year.
In his remarks to the committee, Lee expressed gratitude for two recent friendly gestures made by the Canadian government: Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon’s statement on April 30 in which he spoke approvingly of warming relations between Taiwan and China and Taiwan’s historic participation in this month’s World Health Assembly (WHA), and the bilateral dialogue on health issues between Canadian Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) in Geneva on May 17, the eve of the WHA meeting.
Analysts have described these developments as signs of increasing support from the Canadian government for Taiwan’s pursuit of increased international space, a development which some observers ascribed to Ma’s policy of detente with China.
Lee said that over the past two decades, Taiwan and China have developed close economic ties as a result of the comparative advantages that each side has in the global supply chain.
He cited the World Economic Forum survey’s ranking of Taiwan and Canada among the top 15 countries in overall competitiveness and innovation last year to illustrate that Canada and Taiwan are economically comparable and that their technological capabilities can complement each other.
Considering that Taiwan and Canada are both developed, free-market economies and that bilateral economic relations are also on a firm footing, with more liberalized trade, investment, transportation and travel across the Taiwan Strait, Lee urged Canada to utilize its rich human resource base of 150,000 Taiwanese Canadians and to take full advantage of the “gateway” opportunities offered by Taiwan to the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets to achieve a “win-win-win” formula.
Lee said that for Canadians, the shortest and best route to China is via Taiwan.
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