UK RESTRICTED
Taiwan Embassy for the eviction of a Taiwan business family from a white area in South Africa on 22 August). Potential visitors include former President Reagan who was reported by the Taiwan press to have expressed interest but given no positive response to invitations to visit Taiwan.
Certain
4 But there have also been problems. The worst has been Taiwan's continuing difficulties over the driftnet fishing question. sectors in Taiwan continued to try and portray the authorities' agreement to allow the US authorities to inspect suspected vessels as a selling out of national sovereignty. The ingenious owner of the first vessel inspected, caught indisputeably with salmon aboard, argued that they originated from Heilongjiang in China and were thus no concern of the United States. This did not prevent his catch being impounded. The agreement on inspection was formally signed, after a bit of cliff hanging by Taiwan, on 25 August. It goes into effect on 1 January 1990. But Taiwan's problems are far from over. New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Western Samoa have announced that Taiwan fishing vessels will be banned from their waters. Two Taiwan fishing vessels have been arrested by the Soviet Union allegedly for fishing in their waters. The captain of one has been fined heavily, in what is seen effectively as a ransom demand. A little on the brighter side, the Kaohsiung Fisherman's Association signed a fisheries co-operation agreement with Vanuatu on 29 August, licensing Taiwan vessels to fish for tuna with long lines.
5 In early August, the Southern District Court of Texas apparently sent a letter via the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Taiwan District applying to get Chen Yu chu, a former Director of one of the Chinese Council for North American Affairs Offices in the US, to testify regarding an espionage case. The initial judgement was that under the Vienna convention on consular relations, he should do so, but need not. So far he has refused to appear, pleading diplomatic immunity. The wife of another CCNAA official in Chicago could not plead immunity from a first degree murder charge on 9 August. Immunity is limited only to official duties. In a similar development a West German Court was reported on 5 August to have asked the CCNAA in New York for help over a commercial case in which they wanted the Hsinchu District Court to summon two witnesses from Hsinchu Science Park to testify in a West German case. The High Court approved this on the grounds of the "principle of mutual assistance".
6 On 16 August Vice Premier Shih Chi-yang, who heads the ad hoc Committee on Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, said that Taiwan did not intend to withdraw its organisations and personnel after Hong Kong and Macao revert to the mainland's control. He pleged that Taiwan would strengthen economic, trade, tourism and cultural relations with Hong Kong in the years to come. He also urged the people of Hong Kong to form political parties, demand direct elections, and request firmer assurances of human rights and press freedom.
UK RESTRICTED
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.