Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong (TECO) is the representative office of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Hong Kong.[1] Its counterpart body in Taiwan is the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office in Taiwan.

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong
臺北經濟文化辦事處
Central Plaza in April 2003
LocationWan Chai, Hong Kong
AddressSuite 4907, 49/F, Central Plaza, 18 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Coordinates22°16′48″N 114°10′25″E
AmbassadorVacant
JurisdictionHong Kong and Pakistan
WebsiteOfficial website (in Chinese)
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese臺北經濟文化辦事處
Simplified Chinese台北经济文化办事处
Chung Hwa Travel Service
Traditional Chinese中華旅行社
Simplified Chinese中华旅行社

The de facto diplomatic mission is placed administratively under the Mainland Affairs Council, Executive Yuan, but it also houses departments that serve as outposts of the National Immigration Agency and the Bureau of Consular Affairs (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).[2][3]

Its cultural arm, known as Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Centre, is an overseas agency of the Ministry of Culture.[4]

The General Manager of TECO is also the Director of the Bureau of Hong Kong Affairs in the Mainland Affairs Council of the Executive Yuan. The founding director of the office was Susie Chiang Su-hui.[5]

Previously located at Tower 1, Lippo Centre in Admiralty, the office has been relocated to Central Plaza in Wan Chai since December 2021.[6]

History
Chung Hwa Travel Service counters, Hong Kong Airport Terminal 1

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong, initially known as Chung Hwa Travel Service (Chinese: 中華旅行社), was first established in Hong Kong in 1966 during British rule.[7] This operated under quasi-diplomatic arrangements unilaterally extended by the British authorities.[8]

Previously, while the National Government of the Republic of China in Nanjing had negotiated with the British regarding the appointment of a Consul-General in 1945, it decided against such an appointment, with its representative in the colony, T W Kwok (Kuo Teh-hua) instead being styled Special Commissioner for Hong Kong.[9] This was in addition to his role as Special Commissioner for Guangdong and Guangxi.[10]

Disagreements also arose with the British authorities, with the Governor, Alexander Grantham, opposing an office building for the "Commissioner for Foreign Affairs of the Provinces of Kwantung and Kuangsi" being erected on the site of the Walled City in Kowloon.[11]

In 1950, following British recognition of the People's Republic of China, the office of the Special Commissioner was closed and Kwok withdrawn.[12]

Following the transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997, the Service continued to operate, despite not having been officially registered with the Hong Kong SAR Government.[8] However, in 2000, Beijing set out the conditions under which the Chung Hwa Travel Service could operate in Hong Kong, although the Mainland Affairs Council refused to detail them.[13]

In 2004, the newly appointed managing director of the Service faced a five-month delay before received approval to enter Hong Kong and assume his post.[14] Similarly, other Taiwan government officials faced difficulties in obtaining visas to visit Hong Kong.[15]

In 2009, the Service opened a visa office at Hong Kong International Airport, thereby allowing mainland visitors to Taiwan to collect their visas at the airport instead of having to travel to the office in Admiralty.[16]

On 20 July 2011, in a ceremony presided over by Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan, it was renamed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.[17] This brought it into line with most other representative offices around the world, which already had "Taipei" in their titles.[18] The renaming was considered a milestone in the improved cross-strait relations between Taipei and Beijing.[17]

On 20 June 2021, Taiwan recalled its staff working at the office after the Government of Hong Kong demanded them to sign a document supporting the 1992 Consensus. Only local staff remained to maintain operations.[19]

On 20 December 2021, the entire office completed relocation from Lippo Centre in Admiralty to the Central Plaza in Wan Chai.[20]

Transportation

The office is accessible within walking distance north from Wan Chai Station of the Hong Kong MTR.

See also

References
  1. Is name change a game changer?, Taipei Times, July 17, 2011
  2. A01050000A, 內政部移民署. "亞洲". 內政部移民署 A01050000A (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  3. 外交部領事事務局 (31 July 2017). "Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China(Taiwan)". 外交部領事事務局. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  4. "Overseas Offices, Ministry of Culture". The Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan). Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  5. Different era and mood for 'little dragons' talks, South China Morning Post, 20 April 2010
  6. "Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Hong Kong". Boca.gov.tw. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  7. "Kuomintang News Network". Kmt.org.tw. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  8. The First Decade: The Hong Kong SAR in Retrospective and Introspective Perspectives, Yue-man Yeung, Chinese University Press, 2007, page 87
  9. Democracy shelved: Great Britain, China, and attempts at constitutional reform in Hong Kong, 1945–1952, Steve Yui-Sang Tsang, Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 1988, page 28
  10. Hegemonies Compared: State Formation and Chinese School Politics in Postwar Singapore and Hong Kong, Ting-Hong Wong, Psychology Press, 2002, page 96
  11. Britain and China 1945–1950: Documents on British Policy Overseas, Series I, Volume 8, S.R. Ashton, G. Bennett, K. Hamilton, Routledge, 2013 page 129
  12. Via Ports: From Hong Kong to Hong Kong, Alexander Grantham, Hong Kong University Press, 2012, page 106
  13. Beijing 'sets envoy terms', South China Morning Post, 8 March 2000
  14. Taiwan's office head gets visa after five-month wait, South China Morning Post, 8 October 2004
  15. Visas hard for Taiwanese officials to get, says envoy, South China Morning Post, 13 February 2008
  16. Chung Hwa Travel opens visa office at HK airport, Travel Weekly Asia, August 11, 2009
  17. "Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan poses at a renaming ceremony in Hong Kong Photo 07/20/2011". Townhall.com. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  18. Foreign Policy of the New Taiwan: Pragmatic Diplomacy in Southeast Asia, Jie Chen, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2002, page 82
  19. Lee, Yimou (20 June 2021). "Taiwanese staff to leave Hong Kong office in 'one China' row". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  20. "Taiwan office in Hong Kong to relocate to Wan Chai area". Focus Taiwan. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
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