AMBASSADOR LUNCHES WITH TAIWAN'S TRADE MISSION

UNCLAS SUVA 000245 PLEASE PASS TO EAP DAS NORRIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM TW FJ SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR LUNCHES WITH TAIWAN'S TRADE MISSION REPRESENTATIVE ¶1. On June 4, I met with Victor Chin, Taiwan's Trade Mission Representative, for an informal luncheon to discuss Taiwan's goals in the region. Chin assured me that Taiwan was honoring its pledge to withhold any direct payments to Fiji's de facto PM Bainimarama. Chin recalled that immediately after the 2006 coup, the United States requested Taipei to stop its grassroots payments amounting to USD million to Fiji's prime minister's office. Although these payments had been given to former PM Qarase, Chin said Bainimarama was calling on a weekly basis asking to resume the payments. Chin added that Taipei decided to curtail grassroots payments to Pacific politicians even before its current apparent truce with Beijing on checkbook diplomacy. He noted that Beijing was honoring its agreement not to pursue efforts to get Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru and Solomon Islands to switch allegiances. However, there was no local engagement between his office and the PRC embassy. ¶2. Chin said that recent trade missions by Taiwanese businessmen to Fiji were organized by Fiji's representative in Taipei. The Fijian government, Chin reported, is keen on finding foreign investors to take over some of the cash short resort properties. Thus far there have been no takers. Chin observed that the local Chinese community has not been adversely affected by the economic downturn because it is engaged in local exports, particularly fisheries, food products and mahogany, which are sold mostly to mainland China. He said that Taipei would continue its agricultural development projects at the village level. COMMENT -------------- ¶3. It is a bit ironic that Fiji is seeking Taiwanese investment in the tourism sector while at the same time seeking PRC tourists. Fiji last year relaxed entry requirements for Chinese visitors and received Beijing's designation as an approved tourist destination. MCGANN