The Special Committee on Canada-China Relations in the Canadian House of Commons on Thursday published its first report on Taiwan, which analysts in Taiwan have called a “breakthrough” in bilateral relations.
The report, titled Canada and Taiwan: A Strong Relationship in Turbulent Times, suggests that the two nations should launch diplomatic visits, and calls on the Canadian government to voice the position that Taiwan’s future can only be determined by Taiwanese.
The report also discusses Canada’s engagement with Taiwan, its trade with and investment in Taiwan, the state of regional peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, and other issues related to Taiwan’s relationships with Canada and China.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada via CNA
The report is based on the testimonies at congressional hearings by Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁), Canadian government officials, academics, experts and others.
The report states that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) “has a ‘one China principle’ that is markedly different from Canada’s ‘one China policy.’”
The report cites one Canadian official who characterized Canada’s policy as a “very flexible approach” that was designed to be “strategically ambiguous.”
Conversely, China’s principle “holds that Taiwan is part of the PRC and should be reunited with mainland China,” and China considers visits to Taiwan by foreign government officials as being “inconsistent in bestowing an act of sovereignty to the state that China believes should be a province.”
The committee’s report also cites University of Ottawa professor and Macdonald-Laurier Institute senior fellow Scott Simon as saying that “Canada does not endorse the PRC’s claims over Taiwan.”
The report’s conclusion quotes Tseng as saying that “if Taiwan falls, democracy falls, and that will be the ultimate concern of all of us.”
Speaking to the Central News Agency, Tseng said that the report was the most significant development in Taiwan-Canada relations since the two nations severed diplomatic ties in 1970.
“The Canadian parliament has never published such a comprehensive report on Taiwan,” he said. “The report expresses support for Taiwan’s participation in international affairs, and also emphasizes the importance of economic, trade and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries.”
The report expresses support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which “would benefit indigenous peoples in Taiwan,” whereas Taiwan’s exclusion “contradicts” the forum’s purpose.
It also calls for Taiwan’s inclusion in the International Civil Aviation Organization and the WHO, and says that the Canadian government should evaluate Taiwan’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
It also calls for progress on the Canada-Taiwan Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Arrangement, and says that the Canadian minister of international trade should visit Taiwan to sign the agreement.
No Canadian minister has visited Taiwan since former Canadian minister of industry John Manley in 1998.
The report also calls on China to exercise restraint in the Taiwan Strait and cites Simon as saying that “Canada would continue to oppose economic coercion, as well as more overt military coercion and threats.”
The combined effect of the monsoon, the outer rim of Typhoon Fengshen and a low-pressure system is expected to bring significant rainfall this week to various parts of the nation, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The heaviest rain is expected to occur today and tomorrow, with torrential rain expected in Keelung’s north coast, Yilan and the mountainous regions of Taipei and New Taipei City, the CWA said. Rivers could rise rapidly, and residents should stay away from riverbanks and avoid going to the mountains or engaging in water activities, it said. Scattered showers are expected today in central and
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
COOPERATION: Taiwan is aligning closely with US strategic objectives on various matters, including China’s rare earths restrictions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan could deal with China’s tightened export controls on rare earth metals by turning to “urban mining,” a researcher said yesterday. Rare earth metals, which are used in semiconductors and other electronic components, could be recovered from industrial or electronic waste to reduce reliance on imports, National Cheng Kung University Department of Resources Engineering professor Lee Cheng-han (李政翰) said. Despite their name, rare earth elements are not actually rare — their abundance in the Earth’s crust is relatively high, but they are dispersed, making extraction and refining energy-intensive and environmentally damaging, he said, adding that many countries have opted to
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
RSS