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Mr Murray
TAIWAN
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1.
CONFIDENTIAL
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In his minute of 13 August, PS/Mr Blaker asked for advice on two suggestions which were put to Mr Blaker by the Attached former Head of the 'Free Chinese Centre' in London, in the
presence of Mr Stephen Hastings MP, namely that:
(a) the Anglo-Taiwan Trade Committee in Taiwan
should be authorised to issue travel
documents for Taiwanese wishing to visit
(b)
this country;
see (52
a British team should visit Taiwan to explore
the possibilities for promoting trade.
The following paragraphs give the background and could be used as Speaking Notes if the Minister of State wished to discuss the ideas further with Mr Hastings. The Department would recommend against the Minister seeking to re-establish direct
contact with Mr Cheng.
2.
90
-
95% of all Taiwanese visa applications are dealt with in as little as 14 days in Hong Kong (where they are taken from Taiwan by Cathay Pacific, or other airlines). The temporary relaxation of travel restrictions out of Taiwan earlier this year may have caused the processing time to Lengthen for a while.
But in general, if the process takes
any longer, it is almost certainly because the case has had to be referred to London. In any case, there could be no question of authorising the Anglo-Taiwan Trade Committee to issue travel documents, as it has been the firm policy of successive Governments only to authorise accredited consular officials, or officials in the immigration departments of dependent
territories, to issue visas.
Naturally any specific cases
of allegedly unreasonable delay will be promptly looked into
if details are supplied.
13.