Taiwan and APEC

This is a response to a report entitled President of Taiwan not to attend APEC that appeared on page one in The Jakarta Post of Aug. 22, 1994 issue.

The report's fifth paragraph says,"Succumbing to Chinese pressure, (President) Lee Teng-hui absented himself from last year's inaugural APEC leaders meeting on Blake Island." It's not true at all. The truth is major players of APEC were and still are quite receptive to the PRC's pressure and threats. Most people know the fact that all APEC members are entitled to equal right of participation in meetings held under the framework of APEC. Why then President Lee should be excluded from its summit- meeting?

The report's sixth paragraph says in part, "(ROC) presidential spokesperson, Raymond Tai, in Taipei claimed that Indonesia had extended an invitation to (President) Lee." It's again not true. Mr. Tai only said that "The APEC meeting is informal and has nothing to do with politics. There is no reason why the Chinese communists should try to block us from attending. It was also very unwise for them to do so since the participation is advantageous to all economies in the region.

DAVID Y.S. TZOU

Information Director

Taipei Economic and Trade Office

Jakarta