Canadian Trade Office in Taipei

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The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) is Canada's representation in the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Canada and the People's Republic of China (PRC) signed a joint communiqué marking the establishment of diplomatic relations on October 13, 1970. In the text, Canada recognises the PRC government as the "sole legal government of China" and "takes note" of China's position that Taiwan is an "inalienable part of the territory" of the PRC.^[1] The language of the communiqué does not indicate active Canadian assent to the PRC's claim to Taiwan. However, given the stance of the PRC government that countries with which it has diplomatic relations refrain from official relations with the Republic of China, Canada is forced to make its dealings with Taipei surreptitious. Thus, Canada does not have an embassy or Consulate General/consulate in Taiwan, but instead has an officially unofficial "trade office."

The CTOT was established in October 1986, and is funded by the Government of Canada and staffed by Foreign Affairs Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Despite its name, the CTOT is not very different from any Canadian Embassy. The CTOT does everything from issuing Canadian visas to promoting tourism in Canada. In addition, there are also provincial representatives from the Governments of Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec.

The ROC, likewise, is represented in Canada by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, which has offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

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[edit] Footnotes

^ Mackerras, Colin and Amanda Yorke. The Cambridge Handbook of Contemporary China (New York: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1991). 152. ISBN 0-521-38755-8