Australian Office in Taipei

The Australian Office in Taipei (Chinese: 澳洲辦事處; pinyin: Àozhōu Bànshì Chù) represents Australian interests in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, functioning as a de facto embassy.^[5] The Office is headed by a Representative.

Australian Office in Taipei

澳洲辦事處
Australian Office in Taipei at the Uni-President International Tower
Agency overview
Formed	1981 (as Australian Commerce and Industry Office)[1] 2012 (as Australian Office in Taipei)[2]
Jurisdiction	Taiwan
Headquarters	Xinyi, Taipei, Taiwan
Agency executive	Gary Cowan, Representative[3][4]
Parent agency	Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Website	Australian Office Taipei

Its counterpart in Australia is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia in Canberra.^[6]

History

Before 1972, Australia recognised Taiwan as the "Republic of China", and had an embassy in Taipei, opened in 1966.^[7] In 1972, diplomatic relations were ended following the decision of the government of Gough Whitlam to recognise the People's Republic of China.^[8]

An unofficial organisation known as the Australia-Free China Society, established an office in 1974 to provide services for Australians visiting Taiwan, headed by Lu Chen-kai, Secretary-General of the Sino-Australian Cultural and Economic Association in Taipei.^[9] In Australia, Douglas Darby, a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly, President of the Australia-Free China Society, represented Taiwan in Australia.^[10]

In 1981, The Australian Commerce and Industry Office under the Australian Chamber of Commerce was established in Taipei, which acted as an unofficial representative.^[1][11] The office adopted its present name in 2012.^[2]

The Visa and Citizenship Office in Seoul, Korea manages visa services for applicants in Taiwan.^[12]

List of representatives

#	Officeholder	Image	Term start date	Term end date	Time in office	Notes
1	Bill Mattingly		1981	1990	8–9 years	[13]
2	Rob O'Donovan		1990	1992	1–2 years	[13]
3	Colin Heseltine		1992	1997	4–5 years	[14]
4	Sam Gerovich		1997	2001	4 years	[14]
5	Frances Adamson		2001	2005	4 years	[15]
6	Steve Waters		2005	2008	2–3 years	[16]
7	Alice Cawte		2008	2011	2–3 years	[17]
8	Kevin Magee		2011	2014	2–3 years	[18]
9	Catherine Raper		2014	2018	3–4 years	[3]
10	Gary Cowan		2018	2021	2–3 years	[19]
11	Jenny Bloomfield		2021	Incumbent	3–4 years	[20]

See also

• Australia–Taiwan relations