The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reportedly considering opening a representative office in Western Australia, which would be the first in the state and fifth in Australia.
Opening an office in the state capital, Perth, makes sense given its size, as well as providing economic and political benefits, said Sung Wen-ti (宋文笛), a lecturer in the Taiwan Studies Programme at Australian National University.
As Australia’s fourth-largest city and a popular destination for Taiwanese on working holiday visas, it would be a reasonable choice for the next Taipei economic and cultural office, Sung said on Jan 31.
Photo: Reuters
Taipei has offices in Australia’s capital, Canberra, and in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the country’s three largest cities.
Western Australia is the nation’s largest exporter of iron ore and other minerals, putting it in the spotlight as Australia and China head toward a trade impasse amid a souring political relationship, Sung said, adding that a presence in Western Australia would provide important political ties to state officials.
Dealing with Chinese officials in Australia has in the past few years become more difficult due to China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy, while Taiwan has grown in reputation, partly on Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu’s (吳釗燮) availability to Australian media, Sung said.
Meanwhile, National Sun Yat-sen University political science professor Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁) called for a “targeted” approach to diplomacy, given the nation’s limited resources and room for international influence.
Taiwan has many foreign offices for its size, hampering effective concentration of resources where they are needed most, Kuo said on Jan. 31.
Senior officials should reallocate resources and set a strategic focus to better target efforts and materials toward strategic goals, he said.
Given that diplomatic work cannot wait for a strategic reassessment, offices should be opened in key countries or cities only as the need arises, he said.
Investment in India would be one example, given its position as a New Southbound Policy target nation, he said.
Western Japan is also an area that should have more Taiwan offices, given that it is disproportionately represented compared with other parts of the country, he said, adding that Japanese politicians’ support for Taiwan highlights the importance of representation in key cities.
Kuo suggested “not to be presumptuous” when targeting countries beyond Taiwan’s reach.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
RSS