Ms Marie Cross:

In response to Senator Noone on the relationship with Taiwan, I am afraid I am not awfully well briefed on an EU agreement with Taiwan. Ironically, I was at the UN when the Chinese delegation was sent out and the Taiwanese delegation walked in. I was in my first year in the Department of Foreign Affairs. It was quite an historical moment.

There is just one China. Taiwan is a huge trading nation. Pragmatic mechanisms have developed even between China and Taiwan but nothing official is possible. The EU, as well as other countries, has to accept the huge trading capacity of Taiwan. Officially there is only one China and the Chinese are extremely sensitive to any official recognition of Taiwan and react accordingly.