Mexico has placed Taiwan on a blacklist of countries it considers to be terrorist states, sparking protests from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.
The designation could mean trouble and red tape for Republic of China passport holders as they apply for Mexican visas.
Mexico has placed Taiwan on its blacklist alongside countries such as India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Vietnam and Bosnia. China also was reportedly put on the list.
"The move is unreasonable. Taiwan should not be blacklisted as part of this group of countries," Katharine Chang (
"Our representative office in Mexico has talked to the Mexican foreign ministry, but was told that the decision was made by immigration authorities," Chang said.
Chang confirmed a local media report yesterday that Mexico created a blacklist of roughly 60 countries on Sept. 13.
The measure was put in place to guard against terrorist attacks after the Sept. 11 strikes on US soil.
Nationals from the countries must wait at least 30 days while immigration authorities check the backgrounds of visa applicants.
Before the creation of the blacklist, ROC passport holders had to wait just three days before having their visas approved.
News reports yesterday quoted sources in Mexico's US embassy who confirmed the existence of the blacklist.
Even if ROC passport holders hold a US green card, they will still be required to wait for at least 30 days, Chang said.
Chang said the reasons behind Mexico's decision to include Tai-wan on its list were vague. She said one possible explanation was the growing number of Taiwanese business groups that travel between the US and Mexico.
"When Mexico began to impose stricter border control between the US and Mexico, many Taiwanese business people traveled quite frequently between the two coun-tries," Chang said. "There are currently a total of 104 Taiwanese firms based in Mexico."
Foreign ministry figures indicate that Taiwanese businessmen have invested an estimated US$65 million in Mexico.
Government officials are seeking talks with Mexican immigration authorities and support from pro-Taiwan Mexican lawmakers to get Taiwan removed from the list, Chang said.
Homero Juambelz, director general of Mexican Trade Services in Taipei, said he couldn't offer any comment on the blacklist. "I don't have any information about this," Juambelz said.
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