Foreign Minister David Lin says Taiwan wants to open a representative office in Myanmar.
Lin said Wednesday that Taiwan will need to get permission from Myanmar’s government before the plan to open an office can go forward. He said he believes Myanmar is likely to agree to a Taiwanese office in the country after parliamentary elections in November.
Lin said Taiwanese shoe manufacturers will soon be setting up factories in Myanmar. They will invest US$100 million and create 10,000 local jobs. He said Taiwan must work to convince Myanmar of the further economic benefits a Taiwanese trade office could bring.
Lin’s remarks come just two days after Myanmar opened a trade office in Taipei.
He said that in the interim, Taiwan will communicate with Myanmar’s government through the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund’s Myanmar office. Taiwan’s representative office in Thailand will send officials to Myanmar on a regular basis to discuss bilateral cooperation in agriculture, fishing, labor and investment.