Australian Office in Taipei
澳洲辦事處
Australian Office in Taipei at the Uni-President International Tower
Agency overview
Formed
  • 1981
    (as Australian Commerce and Industry Office)[1]
  • 2012
    (as Australian Office in Taipei)[2]
Jurisdiction Taiwan
HeadquartersXinyi, Taipei, Taiwan
Agency executive
  • Gary Cowan,
    Representative[3][4]
Parent agencyDepartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade
WebsiteAustralian Office Taipei

The Australian Office in Taipei (Chinese: 澳洲辦事處; pinyin: Àozhōu Bànshì Chù) represents Australian interests in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, functioning as a de facto embassy.[5] The Office is headed by a Representative.

Its counterpart in Australia is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia in Canberra.[6]

History

It was established in 1981 as the Australian Commerce and Industry Office.[1] This was under control of the Australian Chamber of Commerce.[7] It adopted its present name in 2012.[2]

The Visa and Citizenship Office of the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong is responsible for consular matters for applicants in Taiwan.[8]

Before 1972, Australia recognised Taiwan as the "Republic of China", and had an embassy in Taipei, opened in 1966.[9] In 1972, diplomatic relations were ended following the decision of the government of Gough Whitlam to recognise the People's Republic of China.[10]

An unofficial organisation known as the Australia-Free China Society, established an office in 1974 to provide services for Australians visiting Taiwan, headed by Lu Chen-kai, Secretary-General of the Sino-Australian Cultural and Economic Association in Taipei.[11] In Australia, Douglas Darby, a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly, President of the Australia-Free China Society, represented Taiwan in Australia.[12]

List of representatives

# Officeholder Image Term start date Term end date Time in office Notes
1 Bill Mattingly 1981 1990 8–9 years [13]
2 Rob O'Donovan 1990 1992 1–2 years [13]
3 Colin Heseltine 1992 1997 4–5 years [14]
4 Sam Gerovich 1997 2000 2–3 years [14]
5 Frances Adamson 2000 2005 4–5 years [15]
6 Steve Waters 2005 2008 2–3 years [16]
7 Alice Cawte 2008 2011 2–3 years [17]
8 Kevin Magee 2011 2014 2–3 years [18]
9 Catherine Raper 2014 2018 3–4 years [3]
10 Gary Cowan 2018 2021 2–3 years [19]
11 Jenny Bloomfield 2021 Incumbent 2–3 years [20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Millar, Ann (2000). The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate: 1962-1983. Sydney: UNSW Press. p. 244. ISBN 9780868409962.
  2. ^ a b "Australian office renamed". Taipei Times. 30 May 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Representative, Australian Office, Taipei Ms Catherine Raper". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australian Government. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  4. ^ Everington, Keoni (27 July 2017). "Taiwan's 'New Southbound Policy' and Australia". Taiwan News. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  5. ^ "The Australian Office in Taipei". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australian Government.
  6. ^ "Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia".
  7. ^ Tull, Malcolm (1993). Prospects for Australian Seafood Exports: A Case Study of the Taiwanese Market. Melbourne: Asia Research Centre on Social, Political, and Economic Change, Murdoch University. p. 10. ISBN 9780869053010.
  8. ^ "Visas and migration". Australian Office.
  9. ^ -Grant, Bruce (14 July 1971). "Whitlam hasn't dumped Taiwan". The Age. p. 5.
  10. ^ "Taiwan country brief]". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australian Government.
  11. ^ "Free China Review". Sino-Australian Cultural and Economic Association. W. Y. Tsao. 24–25: 4. 1974.
  12. ^ "Love-hate with Taiwan". Sydney Morning Herald. 12 March 1974. p. 4.
  13. ^ a b "Australian Backing Taipei GATT Bid". Taiwan Info. 19 February 1990. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016.
  14. ^ a b Taiwan-Australia Relations: Humming Along, University of Nottingham, February 6, 2014
  15. ^ "Business Lunch with HE Ms Frances Adamson, Australian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China (Melbourne)". University of Melbourne. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015.
  16. ^ "Cross-strait stability vital to Australia, envoy says". Taipei Times. 31 January 2006.
  17. ^ "Australia praises Ma for avoiding dollar diplomacy". Taipei Times. 27 October 2008.
  18. ^ "Interview with Kevin Magee, seasoned Australian diplomat". Radio Taiwan International. 17 August 2014. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016.
  19. ^ "Representative, Australian Office". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australian Government. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  20. ^ "Representative, Australian Office". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Australian Government. Retrieved 26 February 2021.

External links

Lists of heads of diplomatic missions of Australia
Diplomatic missions of Australia
Diplomatic missions in Taiwan
Xinyi Planning District
Categories