March 28, 2023
No. 090
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Fiji officially informed Taiwan’s overseas mission in Fiji via a note verbale on March 24 that the mission had had its name reinstated as the Trade Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Republic of Fiji, effective from March 15. It also stated that diplomatic privileges would be accorded to the trade mission in accordance with Fiji’s Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Act 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) affirms and appreciates this measure.
Under pressure from China, the former administration in Fiji in 2018 unilaterally renamed the overseas mission as the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji. Over the past several years, the R.O.C. (Taiwan) government and members of the overseas mission have spared no efforts to have the original name restored. Meanwhile, the general election at the end of last year led to a change of governing party in Fiji, and a coalition government was formed by the People’s Alliance Party, National Federation Party, and Social Democratic Liberal Party, which are prodemocratic and share the values of freedom and human rights. The new government recognizes that since Taiwan established a representative office in Fiji in 1971, the two sides have engaged in close bilateral exchanges and cooperation in such domains as agriculture, fishery, medicine, education, and development of human resources, contributing substantively to the welfare of the Fijian people. Following internal discussions, the cabinet of Fiji overturned the former administration’s decision and reinstated the name—Trade Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Republic of Fiji—and diplomatic privileges to Taiwan’s overseas mission.
MOFA affirms and appreciates this decision by the new Fijian administration. It stresses that Fiji is an important, like-minded cooperation partner of Taiwan in the Pacific region. The governments of the two countries will build on the existing foundation of cooperation to steadily engage in exchanges, deepen bilateral friendship, and jointly ensure democratic advancement, peace, stability, and economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. (E)