Taiwan names special envoy for APEC forum
Taiwan names special envoy for APEC forum
TAIPEI (AFP): Taiwan yesterday announced that top economic
planner Vincent Siew will represent President Lee Teng-hui at the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum leaders' summit
next week.
Meanwhile, government officials said the island will lobby
hard to get the 1999 APEC meeting held in Taiwan.
Siew, chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and
Development (CEPD) will be Lee's special envoy to the summit to
be held in Bogor, Indonesia on Nov. 15, the presidential office
announced.
An Indonesian delegation arrived in Taiwan yesterday to extend
the summit invitation to Lee, foreign ministry officials said.
Under an agreement between Taipei and Jakarta, the invitation was
to be sent to Lee who will appoint Siew to the meeting.
Taiwan, which hopes to increase its international presence,
stalled the announcement of the envoy to the summit. It hoped to
the last minute that Indonesia would agree to Lee's personal
participation following several months of negotiations.
It also hopes that even if Lee cannot attend the meeting,
Indonesia would allow the prime minister or vice premier to
attend. Last week, Foreign Minister Fredrick Chien announced that
Lee would not be able to attend the meeting and Indonesia has
asked to adopt the Seattle model in handling this case.
After Chinese opposition, the United States would not let Lee
attend the meeting hosted last year by President Bill Clinton in
Seattle.
Beijing has viewed Taiwan as a renegade province since 1949
and regards the nationalist island as a local administrative
entity with no right to attend international events.
Like the United States, Indonesia which maintains official
ties with Beijing, sought to avoid offending China by inviting
Lee. But it also sought to preserve valued trade and investment
links with Taiwan.
Siew and Economics Minister Chiang Pin-kung will lead a 23-
member delegation to Jakarta today for the APEC ministerial
meeting on Nov. 11-12.