EU's Taipei office not likely soon

A proposal by the European Commission to open a trade representative office in Taipei was no sign that the office would be established in the immediate future, foreign affairs officials said yesterday.

"It would be rational to expect the end of next year," as Taiwan is expected enter the WTO by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, an official with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he is handling affairs related to the office's establishment.

A veteran diplomat from Taiwan, however, added that it's not solely up to Taiwan to determine when the EU office in Taipei will be opened, because the commission's proposal is connected with the restructuring of EU offices overseas in various countries.

On July 3, the European Commission in a report proposed opening a trade representative office in Taiwan.

"With Taiwan soon joining the WTO, the commission is expected to play a major role in monitoring market access, the application of WTO commitments and other matters related to its policy," the report stated.

The report targeted Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and Paraguay as proposed destinations for opening EU representative offices or sending delegations.

The document also proposed closing EU offices in Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Comores, the Dutch Antilles, Sao Tome and Principe, Tonga and Equatorial Guinea.

Reactions to the EU executive body's proposal from the foreign ministry and David Lee (李大維), Taiwan's representative to Brussels, have been low-key.

The establishment of an EU representative office in Taipei on a reciprocal basis has been high on the foreign ministry's priority list since President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inauguration in May last year.

Critics said the core of Taiwan-EU ties will focus on economics instead of political ties, given the EU's adherence to China's so-called "one China" policy.

"The core of Taiwan-EU relations will still center around economic and trade ties," said Su Hung-dah (蘇宏達) from the Academia Sinica.

Beijing's sensitivity over the conferring of any international recognition to Taiwan has put a severe strain on EU-Taiwan relations, making them rather informal and relatively underdeveloped.

The strengthening of ties between Taiwan and Europe have long been tedious and time consuming matter for Taiwan's foreign ministry.

It wasn't until October 1992 that Taipei hosted talks for the first time. Taiwan's application for WTO membership strengthened contacts between the EU and Taiwan when officials from both sides began to negotiate over bilateral market access. These negotiations were completed by July 1998.