Taipei, Jan. 21 (CNA) Several European countries are considering establishing offices in Taiwan, as the country has lowered tensions with China and has been granted visa-waiver privileges for the European Union, Deputy Foreign Minister Shen Lyushun said Friday.
With the visa-waiver and the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China both going into effect in January, many European countries are trying to gain leverage and several of them might set up offices in Taiwan, Shen said at a luncheon hosted by the European Chambers of Commerce in Taipei (ECCT).
He declined to specify to which countries he was referring, saying that "it is too early to announce anything."
The diplomat, who is familiar with European affairs, having previously served in Geneva and Brussels, also said two more European countries or oversea territories are on the way to granting Taiwanese passport holders visa exemptions, which will push the total number of countries extending the privilege to Taiwan to 99.
The EU visa-waiver was one of Taiwan's great diplomatic accomplishments of the past year, Shen said in his speech, titled "New chapter in EU-Taiwan relations."
Shen highlighted Taiwan's extensive efforts to make Taipei the most business- and tourism-friendly city in East Asia, with measures including the signing of the ECFA and agreements with China on shipping and aviation, as well as on intellectual property rights.
These measures can all help foreign businessmen in Taiwan, he told the ECCT.
Shen said that the next tangible target in EU-Taiwan development will be the signing of trade enhancement measures, which he described as "something similar to a free trade agreement."
He acknowledged that the topic could be "politically sensitive" due to possible opposition from China, but said the EU and Taiwan could use a block-building approach, starting signing other agreements on issues such as avoidance of double-taxation and investment promotion.
"At the end of the day, the lack of diplomatic ties still hurts Taiwan," Shen said as he urged European countries to be more active on the issue. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J