33-SEP-1990
13:11
DE L (UK)
DESKBY
3
DRAFT TELEGRAM
FROM UKDEL OECD
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
IMMEDIATE HONG KONG (FOR FOLITICAL ADVISER)
PEKING
33 1 45249807
P.02
CHINA/TAIWAN: PARTICIPATION IN INFORMAL OECD WORKSHOP IN HONG KONG, 11-12 OCTOBER
SUMMARY
1.
CHINA OBJECTS TO USE OF NORMAL GATT TERMINOLOGY TO DESCRIBE TAIWAN, A FORMULA BEING TRIED BY THE OECD SECRETARIAT TO ALLOW PARTICIPATION OF BOTH IN HONG KONG TRADE WORKSHOP IN OCTOBER. INSTRUCTIONS SOUGHT ON WHETHER WE CAN ACCEPT OECD SECRETARIAT'S SUGGESTED WAY FORWARD.
DETAIL
2. OECD SECRETARIAT HAS BEEN TRYING FOR SOME TIME TO FIND A FORMULA TO DESCRIBE TAIWAN WHICH WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO BOTH TAIWAN AND CHINA, AND WHICH WOULD ALLOW BOTH TO PARTICIPATE IN AN INFORMAL WORKSHOP ON TRADE FOLICY TO BE HELD IN HONG KONG ON 11/12 OCTOBER. THE WORKSHOP IS ONE OF A SERIES ORGANISED FOR OECD MEMBER COUNTRIES AND TEN DYNAMIC NON-MEMBER ECONOMIES (THE DYNAMIC ASIAN ECONOMIES AND FOUR LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES). TAIWAN HAS BEEN PART OF THE DAE GROUPING FROM THE OUTSET. MEETINGS ARE SOMETIMES INFORMAL WITH DELEGATES ATTENDING AS INDIVIDUALS, NOT AS COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES. CHINA IS NOT PART OF THE DAE GROUPING AND IS BEING INVITED TO THE HONG KONG WORKSHOP ON A ONE-OFF BASIS BECAUSE OF THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF TRADE WITH CHINA. THIS MEETING WOULD BE VERY MUCH OF THE INFORMAL TYPE WITH DELEGATES ATTENDING AS INDIVIDUALS, NOT SITTING BEHIND COUNTRY FLAGS. THE ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION WOULD LIST DELEGATES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER. IT WOULD, HOWEVER, HAVE TO GIVE A DESCRIPTION OF WHERE EACH PERSON COMES FROM AND USE NAMES TO DESCRIBE CHINA AND TAIWAN IN ITS ANALYSIS.
3. THE OECD SECRETARIAT SUGGESTED TO THE TAIWANESE AND CHINESE EARLIER THIS MONTH THAT THE GATT TERMINOLOGY TO DESCRIBE TAIWAN SHOULD BE USED IN THE DOCUMENTATION FOR THE WORKSHOP I.E.
"THE SEPARATE CUSTOMS TERRITORY OF TAIWAN, PENGHU, KINMEN AND MATSU (HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS CHINESE TAIPEI)". THE TAIWANESE HAVE ACCEPTED THIS ALTHOUGH THAY ARE NOW THINKING OF SENDING A LOWER- LEVEL DELEGATION THAN HITHERTO. BUT THE CHINESE EMBASSY IN PARIS HAS TOLD THE QECD THAT ONLY THE ABBREVIATED "CHINESE TAIPEI" WILL BE ACCEPTABLE. OTHERWISE THEY SAY THEY MIGHT NOT ATTEND. FURTHERMORE