Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, I'm pleased to be here today to respond to questions on the situation regarding Taiwan, together with colleagues from the international security bureau and legal and trade policy bureaus at GAC, as well as, of course, our head of mission in Taipei, the executive director of the Canadian trade office in Taipei, who stayed up late especially.
Since 1970, Canada has forged significant economic, cultural and people-to-people ties with Taiwan within the framework of the one China policy. Under this policy, Canada recognizes the People's Republic of China, or PRC, as the only legitimate government of China, while noting the Chinese government's position on Taiwan, but not endorsing or challenging it. This framework has allowed Canada to build unofficial but substantial ties with Taiwan based on our complementary interests, shared values and the rule of law, while maintaining diplomatic relations and pursuing our interests with the PRC.
As a modern, prosperous and democratic society, Taiwan is globally connected and has an international footprint to match. There are currently around 60,000 Canadians living in Taiwan, which makes the island the home of one of the largest Canadian diaspora communities in the world.
These direct people-to-people links are supported by daily non-stop flights and deep trade relations with two-way trade in merchandise valued at, in 2021, $10.2 billion, up 38.1% year on year. Taiwan is Canada's 15th-largest trading partner and a critical member of global supply chains, particularly for chip manufacturing and international shipping.
During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan was among the first to donate masks to Canada.
On issues from global health to civil aviation, Canada has always supported the effective participation of Taiwan in global discussions, where a practical imperative exists and the absence of Taiwan would harm global interests.
Despite international efforts to promote greater inclusion in international organizations such as the World Health Assembly and the International Civil Aviation Organization, Taiwan remains excluded from important discussions where its presence would benefit the international community.
In the past four months, we have observed a significant increase in military activity, including over 600 incursions into Taiwan's self-declared air defence identification zone by the PLA Air Force. Whatever the motivations, Canada believes these moves threaten regional security and serve only to push back the possibility of dialogue and co-operation across the Taiwan Strait.
For its part, Canada has communicated directly to the Chinese authorities its concerns about destabilizing military actions across the strait, while reiterating Canada's strong support for constructive efforts that contribute to peace and stability in the region.
To be clear, we remain committed to advancing our interests with Taiwan within the framework of—and I should emphasize—Canada's one China policy. Canadian engagement with Taiwan is multi-faceted and has, on its own merits, an important role to play in advancing Canadian interests. The value to our two societies goes beyond the cross-strait security question.
As our sixth-largest trading partner in the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan's economic stability matters to Canadian exporters. For instance, recognizing Taiwan's crucial position in global supply chains, Canada recently launched exploratory discussions on a possible foreign investment promotion and protection arrangement with Taiwan.
Mr. Chair, as a progressive democracy, Taiwan demonstrates that Confucian values and individual rights and freedoms, including for women, the LGBTQ community and indigenous peoples, can coexist. Canada has many other unique reasons to advance its ties with Taiwan without reference to the agenda of third parties. This long-standing approach has guided Canada's engagement with Taiwan for over five decades and will remain a cornerstone of our continued engagement in the future.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
