环球邮报5月11日头版/
Beijing blasts Ottawa over MPs’ visits to Taiwan
Continued trips harm relationship already strained by human rights, spy allegations
GEOFFREY YORK
From Friday’s Globe and Mail
May 11, 2007 at 1:30 AM EDT
BEIJING — China slammed Canada for “damaging Sino-Canadian relations” by allowing MPs to visit Taiwan, an issue it raised privately with Foreign Minister Peter MacKay during his recent visit, The Globe and Mail has learned.
Despite a clear warning from Beijing that relations will suffer if the steady stream of visits continues, the federal government said it has no intention of cracking down on MP travel to Taiwan.
The spat over the Taiwan visits is the latest rift in Sino-Canadian relations, already strained by spy allegations and the Chinese imprisonment of Canadian citizen Huseyin Celil.
China voiced its unhappiness with the Taiwan visits during a meeting in Beijing last week between Mr. MacKay and his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, The Globe has learned.
China blasted Canada again on the issue yesterday, alleging that the MPs who visit Taiwan are “damaging Sino-Canadian relations and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
China still considers Taiwan to be a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland, and takes offence at any gestures that lend it credibility as a sovereign nation. Pro-Taiwan organizations have spent tens of thousands of dollars to sponsor visits to Taiwan by Canadian MPs in recent years, including 18 MPs who visited Taiwan in 2005.
Taiwan was the most popular destination among MPs who accepted sponsored trips in 2005. The trips continued last year, with another nine MPs travelling to Taiwan to hold meetings with Taiwan’s top leaders last July. And several cabinet ministers have attended functions at Taiwan’s economic and cultural office in Ottawa.
In an interview, Mr. MacKay confirmed that the Chinese officials had “expressed their displeasure” at the number of Canadian MPs who have visited Taiwan in recent years.
“I know they would prefer that that’s not the case,” Mr. MacKay said, “but we’re not going to limit individual MPs in unofficial capacities from visiting Taiwan.”
Jay Hill, the chief government whip, was one of the MPs who visited Taiwan last year and met the Taiwanese President, Chen Shui-bian. He rejected China’s criticism of the visits. “These trips by MPs to Taiwan are unofficial and take place during break weeks from Parliament,” he said.
“Our government has no intention of officially discouraging this type of international interaction by MPs. It’s completely within China’s rights to raise the issue if they so choose, but that will not affect our position.”
China, however, strongly disagreed with the Conservative government’s view that the MPs are merely making unofficial visits. “As elected representatives in Parliament, no matter what they call it, their visits to Taiwan are of an official nature and constitute official contact,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement in response to questions from The Globe and Mail.
“This is what China has always resolutely opposed,” it said. “The acts of some Canadian parliamentarians not only violate the one-China policy that the Canadian government has repeatedly reiterated, but will also be used by the Taiwan authorities to promote their separatist activities of ‘two Chinas’ and ‘one China, one Taiwan,’ thus damaging Sino-Canadian relations and the stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
The statement added that Canada should “not have official contacts and exchanges in any form with Taiwan.”
Taiwan, meanwhile, complained that China is using pressure tactics to try to reduce Canada’s contacts with Taiwan. “China is always pushing to isolate Taiwan, on every occasion,” said Meng Fan-peng, a spokesman for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office – the unofficial Taiwanese embassy in Ottawa.
Taiwan will continue to invite MPs to the island “to exchange ideas and to promote understanding between Canada and Taiwan,” he said. “We will do our own business.”
Mr. MacKay, for his part, said the visits by the MPs do not constitute a change in Canada’s relationship with Taiwan. “There have been no changes in the relationship, and we have not officially recognized Taiwan ever,” he said. “We have a one-China policy, and that was what I reiterated to Minister Yang.”
Travel paid for by non-governmental organizations
The parliamentary Ethics Commissioner has rules on MP travel, and each year prepares a report on trips paid for by organizations other than the government. These are some of the findings:
$500
Maximum amount a third party can pay toward a trip by an MP without it being declared to the Office of the Ethics Commissioner.
69
Number of such trips that were declared in 2006.
29
The number of such trips that were to Taiwan, the No. 1 destination.
7
The number of such trips that were to Israel, the No. 2 destination.
3
Number of MPs whose travel accounts for 25 per cent of such trips.
Source: Report to the House of Commons on Sponsored Travel
