Taiwanese FM attending seminar in Estonia next week
Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu will visit Estonia next week and participate in a seminar at the International Centre for Defense and Security (ICDS) in Tallinn. He will not officially meet with members of the government during his visit, Postimees reported.
The minister will give a keynote speech at an invitation-only event about Taiwan's foreign policy on November 8.
Members of the Riigikogu former Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) and Chairman of the Riigikogu's Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson (Reform) will attend the same event.
As Estonia recognizes the One China policy, if official representatives from Taiwan and Tibet visit they do not publically meet members of the government or the president, only members of the parliament, newspaper Postimees wrote on Friday.
While members of the government are considered official representatives of the country, China has tended to be less concerned about officials meeting members of parliament.
However, the Chinese Embassy in Estonia has published statements condemning the meetings in the past.
"Wu is not in Estonia at the invitation of the government of the Republic or the Minister of Foreign Affairs and, due to the one China policy, no member of the government will meet with him," said Mihkel Tamm, head of communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reinsalu said Estonia could rethink its economic relationship with Taiwain saying it is one of the only countries in the Nordic Baltic region that does not have "economic representation" on the island.
He also said he would not have ruled out meeting with Wu if he had still been foreign minister.
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) said she did not think the visit would affect cooperation with China over the Balticconnector investigation.
Mihkelson called for more cooperation with Taiwan earlier this year during a visit to Taipei and so has the head of the Estonia-Taiwan Friendship Group of the Riigikogu Kristo Enn Vaga (Reform).
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Editor: Helen Wright