Taiwan welcomes Singapore's help

Taiwan welcomes Singapore's help

TAIWAN: Taipei hopes to resume fence-mending talks with rival Beijing and would welcome any offer from Singapore to act as mediator, Taiwan's top policymaker on China was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

The comments from Joseph Wu, chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, came after a report that Singapore's future prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, had offered to facilitate talks between China and Taiwan during a visit to Taipei this week.

"The government is actively trying to talk to Beijing," Wu was quoted as saying in New York by Taiwan's United Evening News.

"If Singapore leaders Lee Kuan Yew and Lee Hsien Loong can help the two sides start talks with no preconditions, Taipei would welcome that," he was quoted as saying.

The Mainland Affairs Council could not confirm the report.

Lee met Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Monday and drew the ire of China, which protests against any country having high- level contacts with Taipei, seeing them as encouragement for the proindependence Chen to declare formal statehood. --Reuters