TNAG-2291-FCO40-3300-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Taiwan-1991 — Page 62

CODE

RAD

UNCLASSIFIED

12

Reference.

Mr Bristow FED

HKCO20/3

TAIWAN/SINGAPORE

да

Tuman

сбой

1.

Thank you for your minute of 2 May. I agree with you that I do not think Taiwan's decision to promote Singapore instead of Hong Kong is directly related to the Hong Kong Government stand on Mr Li's entry. The idea that Singapore might be a more attractive centre for Taiwan's activities is not new. A report in the Free China Journal of 17 September 1990 stated that the Department of Asian Affairs in the Foreign Ministry of Taiwan had described Singapore as an ideal relocation site for Taiwan's activities in Hong Kong at a meeting of Taiwan's representatives to ASEAN countries. There is something to be said, from Taiwan's point of view, for basing some of its investment into China operations in Singapore. As the article points out, Singapore has Investment Protection Agreements with both China and Taiwan. This might be seen asfording an extra degree of legal protection which would not be available in quite the same way in Hong Kong in the future.

2.

The Taiwan authorities have, on a number of occasions, pledged their continuing support for Hong Kong, and have indicated that they wish their agencies to remain in Hong Kong after 1997.

The establishment of the Taipei Trade Centre in Hong Kong last month is concrete evidence of a continuing commitment from Taiwan to Hong Kong. It is funded by the China External Trade Development Council of Taiwan and thus, in their eyes, has a semi-official status, even though it is registered in Hong Kong as a business.

3. The Hong Kong government does take a pretty robust line on visits by officials from Taiwan. There have been a number of rows over the years resulting from Hong Kong's visa policy. The Taiwanese have gone public with their complaints from time to time. For example in June last year, Ju Gao-Jeng, a maverick DPP member of the Legislative Yuan, was reportedly refused a Hong Kong entry visa. He was subsequently quoted as saying that "as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Legislative Yuan, I

UNCLASSIFIED