Taiwan VP says she rejected RI's apology for botched presidential trip

Taiwan VP says she rejected RI's apology for botched presidential trip

Associated Press, Taipei

Vice President Annette Lu said on Monday that Indonesia had repeatedly apologized in private for a bungled attempt by the Taiwanese president to visit the Southeast Asian country last week.

But the outspoken Lu said during a tea party for reporters that she didn't accept the apology because she wanted to preserve Taiwan's dignity and wait until Indonesia apologized in a proper way.

The informal trip was canceled after the details were leaked to an Indonesian newspaper and China began pressuring Jakarta to call off the visit, Taiwanese officials have said. China considers self-ruled Taiwan to be part of its territory and demands that other countries block visits by Taiwanese leaders.

Lu did not say who in the Indonesian government has apologized. An official in her office, Jeffrey Chen, declined to provide more information and directed questions to the Foreign Ministry.

But Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Chang Siao-yue would not discuss the reported apologies. "This is an ongoing event. It's premature for the Foreign Ministry to make any comments at this time," she said.

The incident turned ugly when Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda angered Taiwanese officials by saying that he never approved the trip and that the Taiwanese president would never be welcomed in Indonesia. Hassan said that Jakarta has a "one-China policy" that only formally recognizes the Beijing government.

Taiwan called the remarks "extremely unfriendly," and Lu told reporters on Monday that Hassan's comments were criticized within the Indonesian government.

In Jakarta on Monday, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said the ministry hasn't apologized.

"Our thoughts and policies on this entire episode have been expressed openly and clearly by the minister of foreign affairs," he said.

"That is where it stands and there hasn't been any additional thoughts expressed on this subject, either privately or publicly," he added.