Taiwan president cancels visit to Indonesia<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Taiwan President Chen Shu-bian has scrapped his planned visit to
\nIndonesia following protests from China and rejection from
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Taiwan's state-funded Central News Agency said the decision to
\nkill the planned trip to Yogyakarta had been made at a meeting
\nlate Saturday evening, which gathered high-level national
\nsecurity officials.<\/p>\n
\"The planned trip is gone. Nor does the president have plans
\nto visit any other countries in Southeast Asia,\" the news agency
\nquoted a \"reliable source\" as saying.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Indonesian Minister for Foreign Affairs Hassan
\nWirayuda said that Jakarta would not receive the Taiwan
\npresident.<\/p>\n
\"We rejected the visit and denied the entry of the official
\nshould he insist on coming to Indonesia,\" Hassan told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
\"I think (Taiwan is) fully aware that it will be very
\nembarrassing should their president be denied entry by our
\nauthorities, so they have to postpone the plan,\" the minister
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He stressed that Indonesia adheres to the One-China policy and
\ndoes not acknowledge Taiwan as an independent state.<\/p>\n
\"However, we have many airports, so it is hard to keep track
\nof those who enter the country,\" Hassan added.<\/p>\n
When asked whether the decision to deny entry to President
\nChen will affect trade ties between Indonesian and Taiwan, Hassan
\nreplied, \"Business has its own logic for profit.\"<\/p>\n
President Chen was initially scheduled to arrive in Indonesia
\non Sunday and on Tuesday, to meet Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan
\nHamengkubuwono X to explore trade and investment opportunities
\nfor Taiwan businessmen in the province.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Yogyakarta's Provincial Secretary Bambang S.P.
\ntold the Post that the governor would receive the Taiwan
\npresident in a personal capacity.<\/p>\n
Following the report, Beijing expressed its concern and warned
\nJakarta that such visits, in whatever capacity, \"would undermine
\nthe friendly cooperation between China and Indonesia.\"<\/p>\n
\"As a result of which, (the visit) is not in conformity with
\nthe national interests of Indonesia,\" said a spokesman of China's
\nMinistry of Foreign Affairs in a statement made available to the
\nPost Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"We expect and believe that the Indonesian government will
\nabide by the commitment of the One-China Policy and give no
\nchance to Taiwan authorities for its political plot,\" the
\nstatement said.<\/p>\n
The diplomatic flaw was the second one in the past year, as
\nTaiwan Vice President Annete Lu made a three-day visit to Bali
\nand Jakarta earlier this August.<\/p>\n
At that time, the Taiwan foreign ministry also said that the
\ntrip had been canceled, despite the fact that Lu stayed overnight
\nin Bali.<\/p>\n
Beijing expressed its disappointment and officially submitted
\na protest to Jakarta, as Lu was allowed to land on Indonesian
\nsoil and to meet Indonesian Minister of Manpower and
\nTransmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea.<\/p>\n
The meeting followed a decision by Taipei to suspend new entry
\nvisas for Indonesian migrant workers, on the grounds that these
\nworkers were not capable enough to work in Taiwan.<\/p>\n
Taiwan split from China after a civil war that ended in 1949,
\na separation which has never been acknowledged by Beijing.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Taipei.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/taiwan-president-cancels-visit-to-indonesia-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }