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.”
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
RSS