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The diplomatic imbroglio over inviting Taiwan for this year’s Petrotech, the biennial exhibition on oil and gas, is far from over. The ministry of external affairs (MEA), after rapping the invitation sent to Taipei, also seems engaged in soothing that country’s sentiments.
MEA is trying to strike a balance in its relations with both Taiwan and China on the issue, though it was not responsible for the problem in the first place, a highly placed official told Business Standard.
The official added it was impossible to bring China and Taiwan under one platform as two separate countries, since Beijing follows a “One China” policy, under which Taiwan in considered part of China. India, though, also enjoys a considerably healthy relationship with Taiwan.
This year, arrangements for organising the event, under the aegis of the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, was outsourced to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. ONGC, it appears, sent the invitations without checking with MEA. One went to Taiwanese Prime Minister Jiang Yi-huah. This sent alarm bells ringing within MEA’s corridors, which intervened. According to sources, MEA had asked the petroleum ministry to “immediately withdraw” the invitation.
It is learnt that India believes calling Taiwanese PM for the show would not only have invited sharp criticisms from China, but it would have also entailed calling other heads of states of those countries which are participating in the show.
Generally, it is only oil and gas exploration firms that are invited to the show, in which India business plans, and not their political leaders.
In commercial terms also Taiwanese oil companies are not as large as compared to China and Saudi Arabia, the two big participants in the show.
India was also cautious not to be seen as taking any strategic interest at this point of time, especially when both China and Taiwan both are involved in a territorial dispute with Japan over the Senkaku islands in East China Sea.
