A Canadian public policy institute has urged the Ottawa government to drop its long-standing diplomatic ambiguity over Taiwan’s status and take a clear stance in support of Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy.
The Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI), an Ottawa-based domestic and foreign policy think tank, made the recommendation in a report by Scott Simon released on Tuesday, the day after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won the federal election, but fell short of securing a parliamentary majority.
“Canada needs clarity about the international status of Taiwan in order to recalibrate policies in changing circumstances,” the report’s executive summary said.
Photo: Reuters
The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) intention to “annex Taiwan, which it has never controlled” represents a “substantial risk” to Canada, it said.
Canada’s approach to China’s claim over Taiwan has relied on what it called “diplomatic expediency,” the institute said, adding that since establishing ties with the PRC in 1970, Canada has only agreed to “take note” of Beijing’s position on Taiwan, while neither endorsing nor challenging it.
Canadian courts have treated Taiwan as a de facto state in legal rulings, despite the lack of formal diplomatic recognition, and “Canadian policy is already based on the knowledge that Taiwan is completely autonomous from PRC rule,” the report said.
Taiwan “meets all the criteria for statehood” under the Montevideo Convention, the institute said, referring to a 1933 international treaty that defines a state as having a permanent population, defined territory, government and capacity to enter into relations with other states.
The PRC is “trying to convince the world that Taiwan has always been an integral part of China” by claiming that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 gave it sovereignty over Taiwan, the report said, calling the claim “blatant misinformation.”
“The resolution does not even mention Taiwan,” it said.
China’s legal strategy — described as “international lawfare” — is designed to prevent the UN from supporting Taiwan in the event of conflict, as it did with Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion, it said.
The report urged Ottawa to publicly distinguish between Canada’s “one China policy” and the “one China principle” that the PRC “wants to impose on the world.”
“Canada has the right to define that policy and determine our own relationship with Taiwan without external interference,” it said.
The institute also called on the Canadian government to conduct regular naval transits of the Taiwan Strait, which it said constitute international waters under international law, and to assert the importance of peace and freedom of navigation in the region as a global public good.
The report further recommended increased cooperation with Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines on defense, law enforcement and intelligence sharing to “collectively deter Chinese aggressive actions.”
To bolster Taiwan’s economic resilience, the institute advised expanding bilateral trade and investment in critical areas, such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and strategic mineral and energy supply chains.
Such efforts would help “lay the groundwork for the people of Taiwan to eventually fully exercise their right to self determination as promised in international law,” it said.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not