Ignoring recent protests from Beijing, New Zealand's trade envoy in Taipei said yesterday that Cabinet ministers should make private visits to Taiwan to help expand relations.
The director of New Zealand's Taipei-based Commerce and Industry Office, Charles Finny, also encouraged New Zealand lawmakers to visit Taiwan to forge closer links with the country which Beijing brands a renegade province.
Finny's comments come only weeks after China strongly chastised five New Zealand lawmakers for visiting Taiwan, saying their trip encouraged separatist forces seeking independence.
Beijing diplomats in Wellington wrote to the five opposition lawmakers after they returned from Taipei, warning their visit "will only give wrong signals to the Taiwan authorities."
Finny said Wellington's support of Beijing's official line that Taiwan is part of China put no constraint on legislators traveling to Taiwan. "You can't have trade missions led by the prime minister, but there is no reason why our trade minister can't pay a private visit to Taiwan," he said. "I see no difficulty with that."
"I personally encourage [law-makers] to travel there. I would hope to see a New Zealand minister visiting Taiwan on a private basis," Finny added.
Two trade ministers in the former conservative government visited Taiwan privately, the last around three years ago. Finny said Canadian and Australian ministers had recently visited the country.
A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff said yesterday he knew of no plans for any minister to visit Taiwan.
"I would have to say it would be unlikely, particularly as they would have to be in relevant portfolios such as foreign affairs or trade," the spokesman added.
Finny said the Chinese government accepted New Zealand had legitimate interests in Taiwan, a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation agreement and which, along with China, was poised to join the WTO.
"We have a strong relationship with Taiwan in both APEC and [working toward] the WTO and it's only right and proper that New Zealand be able to pursue that relationship at senior levels," Finny said.
Finny said Taiwan's expected WTO membership would open enormous trade and investment opportunities. Trade between the two countries in 2000 totalled US$570 million.
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