The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that China has no right to interfere with the future establishment of representative offices between Taiwan and the EU.
"This is an issue between Taiwan and the EU. China has absolutely no reason to play a part or to interfere," foreign ministry spokesperson Katharine Chang (
Chang was responding to a recent comment made by China's Prime Minister Zhu Rongji (
The European Commission suggested on Tuesday that the EU weigh the possibility of setting up a representative office in Taipei following Taiwan's expected admission to the WTO.
The commission suggested to the European Parliament that Taiwan be considered when looking at increasing representative offices overseas.
It has been one of President Chen Shui-bian's (
Taiwan's entry into the WTO has been viewed as a vital push for this goal, given that the move would boost trade and investment between the EU and its third largest bilateral trading partner in Asia.
In the proposal entitled, "Europe and Asia: A Strategic Framework for Enhanced Partnership," the EU's executive body defined Taiwan as "a separate customs territory" rather than as a sovereign state -- a statement in line with the EU's "one China" policy.
The proposal reiterated EU support for the peaceful resolution of disputes between Taiwan and China. "The EU is convinced that the cross-strait issue can only be solved peacefully, and on the basis of constructive dialogue," the report said.
Taipei has dispatched former vice foreign minister David Lee (李大維) to serve as the nation's top representative in Brussels as part of the move to push for the establishment of representative offices.
Lee said after his appointment in April that communications between Taipei's representative office in Brussels and related EU officials have been "smooth."
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