The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has approved a plan to set up a task force on ASEAN in an effort to enhance the country’s relations with the organization because it is vitally important to national interests, diplomatic sources said.
The ASEAN unit, like the ministry’s APEC unit, will be a working-level task force under the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs that integrates government resources and streamlines operations in relations with ASEAN.
REGIONAL FOCUS
A senior official, acknowledging that current diplomatic efforts in Southeast Asia are mostly bilateral in nature, stressed the new task force would focus on participating in ASEAN activities on a regional level, promoting dialogue and cooperation and even exploring the possibility of reaching a free-trade agreement.
Established in Thailand in 1967, ASEAN is comprised of 10 member countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
INVESTMENT
Taiwan has invested more than US$51.1 billion in ASEAN nations, while two-way trade surpassed US$60 billion last year, statistics released by the government have showed.
Under President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) diplomatic approach, relations with ASEAN, together with the US, the EU and Japan, is one of the top priorities in international relations, the official said.
DIRECTIVE
He recently issued a directive to the ministry to establish an inter-agency task force on ASEAN at the National Security Council level, a strategic move aimed at strengthening relations with the region and preventing Taiwan from being marginalized, the official said.
“Once the inter-agency task force is established, the ministry unit would also serve in a supporting role to the task force,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
He said that the unit was in the recruiting stage and will soon begin operation.
FRANCISCO OU
In a recent interview, Foreign Minister Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) questioned how Taiwan could survive if it was marginalized by ASEAN member countries.
“We have to find ways to get our foot in the door,” Ou said.
OFFICIAL PRESENCE
The official said that at the bilateral level, Taiwan still does not have an official presence in three of the 10 ASEAN member countries — Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar — and he indicated that Taiwan would try to establish representative offices in those countries.
He said that the establishment of the ASEAN unit was a clear indication that under Ma’s modus vivendi diplomatic strategy, “Taiwan’s diplomacy will be more proactive and pragmatic in the international arena,” rather than passive and inactive as it has often been portrayed by the opposition.
A Hualien pomelo farmer refused to sell to China after the country announced it would permit more Taiwanese pomelo imports, prompting widespread support from Taiwanese consumers, who rallied to buy his fruit. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said that China’s General Administration of Customs registered an additional 79 Taiwanese pomelo orchards and packing facilities in Hualien County, allowing more Taiwanese producers to export pomelos to China. “I am a Hualien fruit farmer and I refuse to sell to China,” Liu Tzu-hao (劉子豪) from Ruisui Township (瑞穗) said in an online post. Liu is a well-known farmer in the community and has served
Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) on Wednesday said decommissioned coast guard vessels were given to the Philippines to enhance regional rescue capacity and would not affect Taiwanese fishers’ rights and benefits. Kuan made the remarks after confirmation on Tuesday that a 500-tonne Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrol and rescue vessel would be given to the Philippine Coast Guard. The donation ceremony was reportedly done in Manila, but whether the vessel — previously numbered “CG123” and named Kinmen (金門) — has been handed over has yet to be confirmed. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Wednesday criticized the donation for “taking
UPDATE: The submarine would need to undergo combined systems testing and crew training for navy personnel before it is ready for mission, an expert said Taiwan’s first domestically built submarine, the Hai Kun (Narwhal, 海鯤), could be delivered to the navy as early as next month, military expert and Taiwan Association for Security and Development chairman Chi Tung-yun (紀東昀) said yesterday. The submarine was yesterday morning observed departing for its 21st sea trial and its 15th submerged test. The vessel missed the initial delivery deadline of November last year due to “testing delays,” its primary contractor, shipbuilder CSBC Corp, Taiwan, said in June. The contractor also cited “political pressure from China” in procuring critical equipment. All testing operations are in the final stages, with the
Six NT$10 million (US$315,527) special prizes and seven NT$2 million grand prizes in Taiwan's May-June uniform invoice lottery remained unclaimed as of today, including one NT$10 million winner who spent only NT$10 on an Uber Eats delivery order, the Ministry of Finance said. The ministry said the 13 winners need to claim their prizes by Nov. 5. The eight-digit serial number that won the NT$10 million special prize for May-June was 38548029, with 18 winning receipts in total. The NT$2 million grand prize number was 10138845, of which there were 22 winning receipts, the ministry said. In addition to the receipt issued for an
RSS