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.
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