14-JUL-1993 16:40
JAMES LEE
TRANSCRIPT B MR. ALASTAIR GOODLAD
COMMITTEE 14 JULY 1993
0494536249 P.30
FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT
29
MR. ALASTAIR GOODLAD:
On the first question about their keenness to become more involved
in international matters, we obviously support their membership of
the relevant economic fora. They are already members, alongside
the People's Republic, of the Asia-Pacific Co-operation the APEC
and the Asian Development Bank; they have applied to join GATT
under the name of a separate customs of Taiwan, Kinmen matuzu and
Pengu, Chinese Type A (phonetic) and we support their involvement
and we chair the GATT working party on Taiwan.
It is their stated foreign policy to rejoin the United Nations and
they are enlisting the help of countries which still recognise
them which does not of course include us but they have yet to
decide on what terms they intend to apply under, whether as a
state or as some other entity. That is not directly on the agenda
at the moment because the United Nations is only open to states
the question of membership is decided by the General Assembly on
the recommendation of the Security Council on which of course
China has a veto so all these problems will have to be sorted out
between the People's Republic and Taiwan.
Will they become independent?
They are moving towards democracy.
They have their elections and for the first time the main
opposition parties won real influence and there is a voice for
independence because the policy of the Guomondang (phon) of course
has always been a one-China policy although there are voices even
amongst the Guomondang now for independence.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.