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.