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.”
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
RSS