HK and Macau urged to set up representative offices in Taipei

Taiwan yesterday urged Hong Kong and Macau to set up representative offices here to handle issues with Taipei amid expanded exchanges.

"There are needs for Hong Kong and Macau to open representative offices in Taipei given such close relations among the three areas," said Huang Chien-liang (黃健良), deputy director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Department at the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC).

Taiwan maintains a de facto representative office -- Chung Hwa Travel Service -- in Hong Kong and the Taipei Trade and Tourism Office in Macau to handle visa and bilateral affairs.

The two territories, which reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 and 1999 respectively, have served as gateways for Taiwanese people to travel and do business with the mainland.

"Their representative offices would further consolidate relations and build new structures for bilateral exchanges," said MAC Vice Chairman Lin Chong-pin (林中斌).

Lin pledged that the government would be more open and forward-looking in handling ties with Hong Kong and Macau, which served as indicators for its relations with Beijing.

"Stable and prosperous Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau relations are beneficial to the development of Taiwan-China exchanges," Lin said.

"We hope China could handle the three-way relations with practicality to facilitate contacts and exchanges with the island."

More than 2.8 million Taiwanese visited Hong Kong and Macau while some 295,000 people from the two territories came to Taiwan last year.

Taiwan was the second largest source of foreign tourists in Hong Kong and the third largest in Macau.

Taiwan-Hong Kong trade grew 19.3 percent year-on-year to US$33 billion in 2000 while Taiwan-Macau trade moved up 13.2 percent to US$360 million in the same year.