Chinese heat prompts Federal Government to baulk at plea for new Taiwan trade office in Perth

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have indicated Taiwan’s request for a new diplomatic office in Perth has been rejected following concerns raised by China.

Earlier this year The Nightly revealed the Taiwanese Government, which does not have formal diplomatic ties with Australia, had submitted a proposal to DFAT to establish a new trade office in Western Australia.

During a senate estimates hearing, DFAT’s First Assistant Secretary for East Asia Michael Growder declined to confirm whether a formal application had been made to the department.

“Australia would consider any requests of this nature if they were made in accordance with our national interest,” he said in response to questions from Liberal Senator Jess Collins.

“Under Australia’s One China policy, we have a strong and productive, unofficial relationship with Taiwan, and it’s appropriate for Australia to advance this unofficial engagement through the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices already in Australia.”

Pressed further on whether a new office proposal for Perth had been submitted and was not going to be accepted, Mr Growder refused to confirm details about the diplomatically sensitive topic.

“All I would say, Senator, again, is that we would consider any requests of this nature if they were made in accordance with our national interest,” he responded.

Senator Collins then questioned DFAT’s Deputy Secretary for Strategic Planning Elly Lawson on whether the application had been formally made, to which she responded: “I wouldn’t propose to comment any further.”

When pressed on whether the idea had already been rejected, Ms Lawson replied: “Senator, we have no further comment to make on that topic.”

Under the long-standing One China policy, Taiwan does not enjoy formal diplomatic relations with Australia, but its interests are represented by a de facto embassy in Canberra known as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office and additional consulates in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Beijing has long claimed the democratic island of Taiwan as its own territory, and Chinese government sources have confirmed to The Nightly that representatives in Canberra launched a formal protest earlier this year with DFAT to reject Taipei’s proposed new Perth office.

Last week Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry publicly confirmed for the first time its proposal to open a new trade office in Western Australia, while also declaring it wanted to “deepen the relationship” with Australia.

“We are seeking every possibility to advance our bilateral relationship, including broaden our footprint in Australia,” Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi said in an exclusive interview with The Nightly in Taipei.

“So that, that’s about that much that I can talk about. Definitely that we see every opportunity … We have a very strong cooperation when it comes to energy with Western Australia.

“Last year when I visited Australia, although I did not visit that part of Australia, I asked our representative office in Canberra to try to reach out and see every possibility, so that should be understood in this context. But sorry I cannot reveal too much details based upon our mutual understanding.”

West Australian Premier Roger Cook has previously revealed he has also been contacted “on a number of occasions” and had conversations with the Chinese Consul General which is fighting against Taiwan’s proposal for a Perth office.

“What I’ve indicated to them is that we very much value the trade relationship and the partnership we have with China. It’s an important part of our economy, but ultimately, decisions in relation to these matters are decisions for the Federal Government.”

In July the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei declared “China has no right to comment on Taiwan’s interactions with other countries,” but at the time stopped short of formally confirming its proposal for a new Perth office.