Substantial ties between Canada and Taiwan have not been inhibited by Canada's longstanding "one China" policy, said the top Canadian representative to Taipei yesterday.
"The `one China' policy, as Canada has established ... is more or less universal now in certainly the G7 countries and the OECD countries. I think within that policy framework, if one looks at the actual relationship between Canada and Taiwan ... you will see that policy has not inhibited the relationship from growing," Ted Lipman said yesterday at his office in downtown Taipei.
Lipman made the comments in an interview with reporters from Taiwan's three English-language newspapers. The talk focused on the twists-and-turns in Ottawa-Taipei ties since he took his post as the executive director of the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) over a year ago.
In the one-hour interview, Lipman elaborated on non-political ties between the two sides, while cautiously responding to the Canadian policy on issuing visas to high-ranking Taiwanese officials.
"Every [visa] application that comes to us is judged on its own merit. If the application is in Canadian interests, it's approved," he said.
"Certainly in the year that I have been here, there have been no high-ranking officials who have been refused visas," said Lipman, who was the first Canadian foreign service officer posted to Taiwan in 1990.
More than 20 Taiwanese ministers or officials above the vice ministerial level have visited Canada over the past 18 months, Lipman said, calling the number "a good reflection of some of the substance" in Canada-Taiwan ties.
"There is more senior-level interaction between Taiwan going to Canada than with many of the countries with which Taiwan has diplomatic relations," Lipman said.
"It really belittles our relationship if we focus on the things that aren't happening rather than the things that are already happening," he said.
Taiwanese officials who have recently traveled to Canada include Chang Fu-mei (張富美), minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission; Chen Chien-nien (陳建年), chairman of the Council of Aboriginal Affairs; Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘) and Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通).
Describing his office as a "major service provider," the veteran diplomat studied Asian Studies and modern Chinese history and served at the Canadian embassy in Beijing from 1999 to last year.
Lipman detailed what he sees as signs of strong relations between the two sides in areas of trade, investment, culture and education.
Citing the 100,000 visa applications that Canada receives annually from Taiwan, plus the 20-some cultural events hosted by his office over the past year, Lipman said ties are substantial.
He also highlighted Taiwan's WTO accession as an accelerator for Ottawa-Taipei economic ties.
"With Taiwan entering the WTO on Jan. 1, we do see more opportunities, particularly in our agricultural and food trade," Lipman said.
Imports of Canadian agricultural products to Taiwan have increased 25 percent in the first four months this year.
Although Canada's market share in Taiwan is much lower than its market share in other countries in the region, Lipman said Canada's status as a country without any colonial experience can be of benefit in its foreign trade expansion in the long run.
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