High-ranking Taiwanese government official confirms interest in opening Perth trade office

Taiwan has declared it wants to deepen its relationship with Australia and “broaden its footprint” in the country, confirming publicly for the first time a proposal to open a new trade office in Perth, which is being fiercely resisted by China.

In an exclusive interview with The Nightly, Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi has also praised the Albanese Government’s strong support for his nation following large-scale military drills launched by Beijing towards the democratic island in 2025.

“Last year China conducted a massive military exercise off our east coast, and Australia was among the first to issue a statement against that kind of action operation,” Minister Chen told The Nightly.

“I think Australia has spoken to many (of its allies) to come up together (and) have a very strong working statement against China’s very dangerous manoeuvre in Taiwan”.

“And we are particularly happy that Australia begins to see the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait also is part of Australia’s national interest,” he adds.

Referencing Australia’s “own history of facing China’s economic coercion”, the Deputy Foreign Minister said his Government would “like to work with the Australians closely, we proactively seek how can we deepen our bilateral relationship”.

“You can understand that the dynamic to have trade with China is never simply just trade - it’s about China. (The) Chinese people are nice, but the party state behind this whole thing makes it not the market economy – it’s actually (a) weapon for the party state to reach its political goal”.

Earlier this year The Nightly revealed the Taiwanese Government had submitted a proposal to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to establish a trade office in Perth, but the move was being strongly opposed by China’s embassy in Canberra.

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.

Asked about the report, Minister Chen declined to give further details but told The Nightly: “we are seeking every possibility to advance our bilateral relationship, including broaden our footprint in Australia”.

“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 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.”

Pressed on whether he would back the establishment of a Taiwanese trade office in the state, the Premier said: “We support any opportunity to continue to build our trading partnerships with Asia, whether it’s Southeast Asia, North Asia, West Asia.”

“But the decisions in relation to that are the purview of the federal government, and I respect that,” he told reporters in August, while acknowledging that “we want all the visitors that we can get.”

DFAT has repeatedly declined to comment on if the Taiwanese proposal for a fourth office in Perth is likely to be approved, or whether it will be blocked in line with China’s demands.

“Australia values our deep and productive unofficial relationship with Taiwan, including through engagement with Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (TECO) in Australia,” a DFAT spokesperson told The Nightly earlier this year.

“In pursuing these ties with Taiwan, Australia adheres consistently to our long-standing, bipartisan one-China policy.”

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.

* Andrew Greene visited Taipei this week as a guest of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs