Promoting a Mutually Beneficial Relationship Between Europe and Taiwan
(Source: Republic
of China Yearbook--Taiwan 2001)
The ROC has maintained close commercial, cultural, technology, educational,
and tourism relations with the nations of Western Europe. Cordial substantive
relations are enhanced by mutual visits of key political leaders. The ROC welcomed
the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the restoration of democracy in the countries
of Eastern Europe. In recent years, the ROC has promoted friendly relations
with Central European, Balkan, and Baltic States.
Currently, the ROC has 27 representative offices in Europe (see Appendices),
including embassies in the Holy See and Macedonia, while the Holy See and Macedonia
maintain embassies in the ROC. The ROC maintains representative offices in the
capital of each of the 15 EU members, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Norway,
Poland, and Switzerland, as well as in four cities: Edinburgh, Geneva, Hamburg,
and Munich.
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great
Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden,
and Switzerland have also established representative offices in Taipei. Moreover,
the EU Commission and the ROC have agreed to establish representative offices
in Taipei and Brussels.
Interparliamentary exchanges with Eastern Europe have become increasingly important
to ROC-Europe relations. At present, 20 European nations and the European Parliament
(EP) have established parliamentary groupings to promote ties with the ROC (see
Table I).
The EP, with its strong interest in human rights and democracy, has adopted
resolutions in supporting the ROC, praising the ROC's democratic achievements,
and asking the Chinese mainland to peacefully solve issues relating to
Taiwan. In addition, the EP resolution called on the EU member states and the
European Commission to strengthen relations with the ROC and establish a Commission
representative office in Taipei.
The ROC has signed over 100 agreements, protocols, and memoranda with 22 European
countries and the EU. Significant agreements signed in 2000 included an agreement
on mutual recognition of intellectual property rights with the UK; an energy
cooperation pact with Denmark; a trilateral agreement between the ROC, Latvia,
and Lithuania on scientific cooperation; an agreement on patent rights with
the Netherlands; and three agreements on developing relations with Macedonia:
the "Agreement on the Establishment of the Free Economic Zone in Skopje,"
the "Agreement on the Establishment of the Economic Development Fund,"
and the "Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Cooperation in the Field of Defense."
The ROC government welcomes participation by European multilateral financial
institutions. To date, the European banks have issued bonds in Taiwan, as follows:
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (US$72 million), the Nordic
Investment Bank (US$310 million), the European Investment Bank (US$37 million),
and the Council of Europe Social Development Fund (US$186 million).
Prominent visitors from Taiwan to Europe in 2000 included former President
Lee Teng-hui, who traveled to the UK in June and to the Czech Republic to participate
in the conference of world leaders, hosted by Czech President Vaclav Havel in
October. Foreign Minister Tien Hung-mao made two trips to Europe, visiting the
Holy See and Macedonia in June and Italy, France, and Belgium in September.
The first Taiwan-Spain Economic Meeting was held in Madrid in January.
Former Polish President and Nobel Laureate Lech Walesa attended the inauguration
of President Chen Shui-bian, to express his support for democracy on Taiwan.
He was joined, by a Macedonian delegation consisting of Parliament Speaker Savo
Klimovski, Deputy Prime Minister Bedredin Ibrahimi, and Urban Planning and Construction
Minister Dusko Kadievski. Other notable European visitors to Taipei included
Danish Folketing Presidium member Paul Nodgaard in October 2000 and Latvian
Education and Science Minister Karlis Greiskalns in November 2000.
