China walks out on APEC ministerial meeting in NZ

China walks out on APEC ministerial meeting in NZ

WELLINGTON (Reuters): The Chinese government delegation walked
out of the first APEC ministerial meeting of the year because of
a change in the delegation of its rival Taiwan, New Zealand
officials said on Wednesday.

The Chinese delegation flew home from Christchurch just as the
Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Small and Medium
Enterprises ministerial meeting was getting under way on Tuesday.

At issue was a change in leadership of the Taiwan delegation,
Maarten Wevers, New Zealand's chairman of the APEC senior
officials group, told Reuters.

A Taiwan Economic Ministry official confirmed that Yang Shih-
chien, a minister without portfolio, replaced Minister for
Economic Affairs Wang Chih-kang who stayed home to appear before
parliament.

Wevers said New Zealand was informed about the switch last
week and had tried at great length to smooth the waters with
China without success.

"They were concerned about (Yang's) status and his position
but, as we understand it, he has a status that is not as elevated
as the Minister of Economic Affairs. But I think it depends on
which way you look at these things," Wevers said.

"We had a number of discussions with them and they said that
in the circumstances they were unable to join us."

China tolerates Taiwan's membership in APEC, but only as an
Asian "economy", not as a sovereign state.

Taiwan has been estranged from China since a 1949 civil war
split, when communist forces drove the Nationalist Republic of
China government off the mainland and into exile on the island.

Wevers said Yang had been at four previous APEC ministerial
meetings without any problem "but the Chinese indicated that they
are not comfortable with him leading the delegation".
Both Chinese and Taiwan representatives in Wellington declined
comment on the incident.

But a Taiwan source said he could see no reason for the
dispute to arise: "It doesn't make any difference -- both of them
are ministers."

A Chinese business delegation remained at a parallel business
conference after the ministerial delegation left, and Wevers said
he did not believe that a series of officials' meetings about to
start would be affected.

Beijing maintains that it alone has sovereignty over Taiwan
and enforces a diplomatic embargo around the exiled Republic of
China government, blocking its drive to open up what Taipei calls
"international living space".

APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New
Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea,
Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.