Memorandum by the Taipei Representative
Office in the UK
PART I: THE
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE
OF TAIWAN
TO THE
EU—IN RELATION
TO EUROPEAN
CONCERNS REGARDING
CHINA
1. Taiwan is comparatively the best role model
and catalyst for China's democratization
Given the shared cultural background and common
historical legacy of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, the Republic
of China (ROC) on Taiwan, probably more than any other western
democracy, can serve as the best role model and catalyst for China's
democratization along EU expectations. For example, we have seen
many in the younger generation in China question each other through
electronic exchange as to why the people in Taiwan can elect its
own president and vice president while they cannot.
2. Taiwan is a major contributor to China's
economic modernization and market economy
According to our statistics, by the end of March
2009, the total number of applications of investment to China
was 37,251, with a total investment amount of US$76.399 billion.
More than 5 million jobs in China have been created due to this
investment, and, according to a report published three years ago
by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Geneva, about 70% of China's
IT capability can be attributed to Taiwan investment.
3. Taiwan is a unique business partner for
EU investors in China
Taiwan enjoys special privilege of accessing the
growing China market, particularly that of the yet-to-be developed
inner China. According to two of the nine agreements Taiwan signed
with China since President MA Ying-jeou was inaugurated on 20
May 2008, China has opened 63 ports exclusively to Taiwan's ships,
including some river ports into inner China, such as Wuhan and
Chenglingji along the Yangtze River; and 27 cities for direct
Taiwan air links, including some remote provincial capitals such
as Harbin in the Northeast and Guiyang in the Southwest. It can
be said that few foreign countries have such easy access to the
inner part of China, and this has made Taiwan an ideal business
partner and unique gateway for EU investors who would like to
explore the big market in China's remote provinces.
4. Taiwan is a determining factor in the regional
peace and military balance in East Asia
Mainland China is 265 times larger than Taiwan geographically
and 58 times more populous. However, China's GNP is only about
eight times that of Taiwan (US$3.2 trillion vs US$400 billion).
The military balance in the Taiwan Strait area, as indicated in
the attachment, shows that Taiwan's defense capability cannot
be overlooked and Mainland China still has more than 1,500 missiles
targeted at Taiwan. The MA Ying-jeou government is now seeking
improvement of China-Taiwan relations, and has put into effect
policies to help significantly ease the tension with the hope
that Beijing will reciprocate this Goodwill. Taiwan's departure
or deviation from the current policy may revive the previous confrontation,
even in military terms, which nobody would like to see.
5. Taiwan, due to its unique assets, is the
right place to learn Chinese culture and history
A large volume of China's historical archives, dated
from as early as the mid-19th century, as well as around 700,000
pieces of imperial art collection originally in Beijing's Forbidden
City, were brought over to Taiwan in 1949 by the Chiang Kai-shek
government. Together with the preservation of the classic Chinese
written characters, Taiwan has been made a unique place for the
study of culture, language, and modern history of China. As a
matter of fact, as of today, 30 years after the American recognition
of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Chinese language
school of the US State Department is still located in Taiwan.
6. Taiwan is willing to learn from the EU
integration experience
Taiwan's current approach to its relationship with
Mainland China is similar to the European path of integration,
ie, starting from social and economic integration so as to reduce
military tension and to increase the possibility of political
accommodation and reconciliation. Since the new policy was in
place after the government of President MA Ying-jeou took office
in May 2008, the EU has issued eight statements to welcome relevant
measures and developments.[51]
As integration is likely to be an endless process, Taiwan is willing
to learn from the EU integration experience that is helpful for
the development of cross-strait relations.
7. The importance of Taiwan as an EU trading
partner
According to the EU's 2007 statistics, Taiwan is
the 13th largest trading partner of the EU with a two-way trade
volume of about €40 billion. If we single out exports to
the EU, amounting to roughly €26 billion, Taiwan has a global
standing between India and Canada as the 12th largest supplier.
It has been estimated that such a trade volume, together with
Taiwan's investment in the EU countries, has created 400,000 jobs
for EU member states. In 2007, Taiwan also stands as the 21st
largest market for EU goods followed by the 2008 purchase of big-ticket
items such as 20 A350-900 Airbus aircraft for a total value of
US$ 4.3 billion. The plane deal also marks the first time that
Taiwan's air fleet have ordered European (UK-made Rolls-Royce)
engines.
8. Taiwan is a major air and maritime transportation
hub in East Asia
Centrally located in East Asia, the island of Taiwan
is a major air hub to approximately 1.5 million-1.8 million controlled
flights a year, including those of 69 airlines from 30 countries
(10 from six EU member states). Taiwan's harbors receive about
80,000 international ships annually. Around 120 direct flights
operate between Taiwan and Europe a week, not to mention thousands
of the European overflights crossing Taiwan's airspace weekly.
The Taiwan Strait is also an important waterway linking Northeast
and Southeast Asia where tens of thousands of European ships travel
through each year.
9. Taiwan's international aid currently goes
to 28 developing countries with 306 projects to share EU's burdens
Turning from a recipient country just a few decades
ago, Taiwan now is a donor nation that, in 2008 alone, spent US$430
million in Official Development Assistance (ODA), in addition
to the donation from the private sector of another hundreds of
millions of dollars. Altogether thirty-three technical and medical
missions with 326 experts are stationed permanently in 28 developing
countries, providing humanitarian relief, education and training,
as well as technical assistances ranging from agricultural demonstration
to food processing, and from public health to power supply. Taiwan
has also made a strong effort in helping the infrastructure building
in those countries who still maintain diplomatic ties with it,
mostly former European colonies. The projects include building
hospitals, airports, highways and government offices.
PART II: TAIWAN'S
EXPECTATIONS OF
THE EU—A WISH
LIST
1. The granting of the Schengen Visa waiver
to the Taiwan (ROC) passport holders
We appreciate the kindness of the United Kingdom
in offering the British visa waiver to our passport holders as
of 3 March 2009. Taiwan has also granted visa waiver to 24 out
of the EU's 27 member states, with the remaining three already
arranged to be included under the principle of reciprocity.
2. The EU's continuous support for Taiwan's
participation in the UN's Specialized Agencies as observers
With EU support, Taiwan just received an invitation
letter from the World Health Organization (WHO)[52]
to attend the 2009 World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer.
As a matter of EU policy, Taiwan's "meaningful participation",
including observer status, in the UN Specialized Agencies was
recently endorsed by the two amendments, adopted by the European
Parliament on 5 and 19 February respectively. Just like the WHO,
other UN Specialized Agencies cannot accomplish fully their respective
goals without Taiwan's participation. Taiwan is willing to participate
in and contribute to the works of the UN Specialized Agencies.
Besides, Taiwan needs to learn about and observe the international
rules made by these Agencies so as to keep its pace of development
up to international standards. For those purposes, observer status
in these Agencies will make Taiwan's participation meaningful
and systematic, different from the nowaday sporadic and random
arrangement.
3. Establishment of a Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) between Taiwan and the EU
More and more EU trading partners have signed or
about to sign FTAs or similar arrangements with the Union. In
order to offer equal opportunities for Taiwan traders and producers,
it is only fair to let Taiwan also conclude a FTA or similar arrangement
such as Trade Enhancement Measures (TEM) with the EU. According
to a study done by a Copenhagen research institute specialized
in FTA matters, such an agreement will help increase EU exports
to Taiwan by €11.8 billion within two to five years, a big
benefit to both sides.
4. A balanced EU policy toward the two sides
of the Taiwan Strait
It is utmost important for EU not to define its "One
China" policy as recognizing Beijing's sovereignty over Taiwan.
As a matter of fact, while all 27 EU member states recognized
the PRC diplomatically, only six of them explicitly indicated
their recognition of Beijing's sovereignty over Taiwan in the
joint communiqués for diplomatic relations. Recognition
of such will not only impede EU's own freedom in its future dealings
with Taiwan, but also tend to invite PRC intervention on all occasions
related to Taiwan. In particular, we hope that in the current
negotiation for the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA)
between the EU and China, the issue of Taiwan sovereignty will
not be mentioned at all. It is also expected that no dealing between
the EU and China concerning Taiwan will be conducted before the
Taiwan authorities are fully consulted.
5. Continuation of the EU's arms embargo against
China until relevant conditions are met
On January 18 2007, the Commissioner for External
Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Mme. Benita Ferrero-Waldner
of the EU said to the Chinese Prime Minister that there are three
conditions China must meet before the arms embargo imposed in
1989 can be lifted. The conditions are: (1) to ratify the UN International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; (2) to free those jailed
for the involvement in Tiananmen Square incident; (3) to abolish
the "re-education through labour" system of imprisonment
without trial. We would like to suggest another two conditions
which are also important to both the EU and Taiwan: (1) China
must remove the 1,500 missiles deployed along China's southeast
coast targeting at Taiwan; (2) China must formally renounce the
use of force against Taiwan.
6. The acceptance of Taiwan as an international
legal person by the EU
Although the ROC is not widely recognized as a nation-state,
Taiwan, at the very least, is an international legal person entitled
to enjoying rights and undertaking obligations under international
law. To date, 109 countries who do not recognize the ROC have
signed over 800 bilateral agreements or arrangements with Taiwan.
Courts in the countries not recognizing Taiwan, such as Canada,
USA, and Switzerland, have confirmed in legal cases and precedents
that Taiwan is capable to sue and to be sued in those countries.
As international agreements and conventions signed by the PRC
cannot legally cover Taiwan, the legal vacuum in this regard has
to be dealt with by accepting Taiwan as a separate international
legal person, similar to the arrangement in the World Trade Organization
(WTO), in which Taiwan appears as a "separated customs territory"
but with full membership. Another example is that, for the implementation
of the International Health Regulations (IHR) in Taiwan, the health
authorities in Taipei were already invited in January 2009 by
the WHO to designate a "Point of Contact" so as to directly
communicate with the WHO's Contact Points, instead of going through
Beijing's Focal Point. Only the government in Taiwan, and no one
else, can undertake international obligations and enforce international
rules and laws in and for Taiwan. By the same token, the legal
rights under the same international agreements and conventions
should also be bestowed upon Taiwan accordingly and directly.
18 May 2009
MILITARY POWER OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF
CHINA
TAIWAN STRAIT MILITARY BALANCE, GROUND FORCES
|
| China
| | Taiwan
|
| Total
| Taiwan Strait Area
| Total |
|
| Personnel (Active) | 1.25 million
| 440,000 | 130,000
|
| Group Armies | 18
| 8 | 3
|
| Infantry Divisions | 19
| 8 | 0
|
| Infantry Brigades | 24
| 11 | 8
|
| Mechanized Infantry Divisions | 4
| 1 | 0
|
| Mechanized Infantry Brigades | 5
| 1 | 3
|
| Armor Divisions | 9
| 4 | 0
|
| Armor Brigades | 8
| 3 | 5
|
| Artillery Divisions | 2
| 2 | 0
|
| Artillery Brigades | 17
| 6 | 5
|
| Airborne Divisions | 3
| 3 | 0
|
| Amphibious Divisions | 2
| 2 | 0
|
| Amphibious Brigades | 3
| 3 | 3
|
| Tanks | 6,700
| 2,800 | 1,100
|
| Artillery Pieces | 7,400
| 2,900 | 1,600
|
|
| Note: PLA active ground forces are organized into Group Armies. Infantry, armor, and artillery units are organized into a combination of divisions and brigades deployed throughout the PLA's seven MRs. A significant portion of these assets are deployed in the Taiwan Strait area, specifically the Nanjing, Guangzhou, and Jinan MRs. Taiwan has seven Defense Commands, three of which have Field Armies. Each Army contains an Artillery Command roughly equivalent to a brigade plus.
|
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http://www.deltwn.ec.europa.eu/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=91
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