The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reportedly considering opening a representative office in Western Australia, which would be the first in the state and fifth in Australia.
Opening an office in the state capital, Perth, makes sense given its size, as well as providing economic and political benefits, said Sung Wen-ti (宋文笛), a lecturer in the Taiwan Studies Programme at Australian National University.
As Australia’s fourth-largest city and a popular destination for Taiwanese on working holiday visas, it would be a reasonable choice for the next Taipei economic and cultural office, Sung said on Jan 31.
Photo: Reuters
Taipei has offices in Australia’s capital, Canberra, and in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the country’s three largest cities.
Western Australia is the nation’s largest exporter of iron ore and other minerals, putting it in the spotlight as Australia and China head toward a trade impasse amid a souring political relationship, Sung said, adding that a presence in Western Australia would provide important political ties to state officials.
Dealing with Chinese officials in Australia has in the past few years become more difficult due to China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy, while Taiwan has grown in reputation, partly on Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu’s (吳釗燮) availability to Australian media, Sung said.
Meanwhile, National Sun Yat-sen University political science professor Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁) called for a “targeted” approach to diplomacy, given the nation’s limited resources and room for international influence.
Taiwan has many foreign offices for its size, hampering effective concentration of resources where they are needed most, Kuo said on Jan. 31.
Senior officials should reallocate resources and set a strategic focus to better target efforts and materials toward strategic goals, he said.
Given that diplomatic work cannot wait for a strategic reassessment, offices should be opened in key countries or cities only as the need arises, he said.
Investment in India would be one example, given its position as a New Southbound Policy target nation, he said.
Western Japan is also an area that should have more Taiwan offices, given that it is disproportionately represented compared with other parts of the country, he said, adding that Japanese politicians’ support for Taiwan highlights the importance of representation in key cities.
Kuo suggested “not to be presumptuous” when targeting countries beyond Taiwan’s reach.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS