This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS TAIPEI 003517 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC, IO/UNESCO COWLEY, EB/TPP/MPA NISSEN, 
STATE PASS USTR AND AIT/W, USTR FOR WINELAND, WINTERS AND 
BALASSA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD TW
SUBJECT: CHINESE TAIPEI SUPPORTS U.S. POSITION ON UNESCO CDC 
 
REF: SECSTATE 149077 
 
¶1.  Econoff met with Deputy Director of the Multilateral 
Trade Affairs Division, Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade 
(BOFT), Amelia Dai, August 22 to deliver reftel points.  Dai 
said Chinese Taipei shares U.S. concerns regarding the 
possibility that the UNESCO Cultural Diversity Convention 
(CDC) could encourage economies to seek special treatment 
within the WTO framework for so-called "cultural goods." 
Counselor Jenny Yang, of the Chinese Taipei mission in Geneva 
will attend the August 25 meeting called by WTO Secretary 
General Supachai to discuss the potential trade implications 
of the CDC. 
 
¶2.  Dai informed AIT that Chinese Taipei is currently 
preparing a letter to SG Supachai listing its three major 
concerns with the CDC provisions.  First, Chinese Taipei 
believes the scope of the Convention is too broad and is 
ill-defined.  This lack of clear definition could be 
interpreted to allow an economy to claim virtually any good 
or service has cultural significance.  Second, the Convention 
would seem to allow for trade distorting measures in an 
effort to protect these ill-defined cultural goods in 
violation of WTO rules.  Third, Chinese Taipei is concerned 
that the relationship between the CDC and WTO commitments is 
unclear, potentially leading some to assume that the CDC is 
an exception to the WTO agreement. 
 
¶3.  While Chinese Taipei recognizes the importance of 
cultural diversity, it believes protectionist measures that 
impact trade should be avoided.  Chinese Taipei will support 
efforts to encourage UNESCO not to adopt this Convention 
during the General Conference in October 2005 and volunteered 
to contact its diplomatic partners who are also UNESCO 
members to urge them not to support the adoption of the CDC 
without further negotiations. 
KEEGAN