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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Taiwan bids to promote trade inclusion at APEC
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Shih, left, former vice president Vincent Siew, center, and Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi, right, head into a news conference in Taipei yesterday to discuss Siew’s trip to Beijing for the annual APEC summit. Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
TICKET TO TRADE BLOCS: The regional summit is a golden chance to advance the nation’s mission to join trade pacts, as well as boost China ties, according to Ma
/ Staff writer, with CNA and AFP, TAIPEI
President Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九） yesterday said that Taiwan will use the opportunity of attending this year’s APEC summit to demonstrate its resolve to participate in regional trade blocs such as the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Although it is unlikely that much progress will be made at the summit on Taiwan’s inclusion in the nascent trade pact or the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership by the end of the year, the nation could show the world its “determination and sincerity” to be part of regional economies, he said.
The key issues to be discussed during the upcoming APEC meetings — including advancing regional economic integration — will highlight Taiwan’s economic development, Ma said as he met the members of the delegation going to the APEC meetings in Beijing.
Former vice president and premier Vincent Siew （蕭萬長） will attend the APEC leaders’ summit on Monday and Tuesday next week on behalf of Ma, as he did last year. Siew also attended as a representative in 1993 and 9994.
Regarding the possibility of a meeting between Siew and Chinese President Xi Jinping （習近平）, Ma said he hopes that if such a meeting does take place, the two sides would be able to discuss opportunities for further cooperation.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said Taiwan wishes to talk with China about issues related to the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement （ECFA）, such as the signing of a trade in goods agreement between the two sides.
A Siew-Xi meeting could benefit both cross-strait relations and the nation’s economy, Ma said.
He also reiterated the importance of the so-called “1992 consensus,” adding that a Siew-Xi meeting could help both sides understand that the foundation laid by the consensus will not change.
The Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） says the so-called consensus — that there is only one China, with each side free to interpret what “one China” means — was reached at a November 1992 meeting in Hong Kong between the then-chairmen of the Straits Exchange Foundation and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait.
Opposition groups dispute the KMT’s claim, following former KMT legislator Su Chi’s （蘇起） admission in February 2006 that he had made up the term in 2000, before the KMT handed over power to the Democratic Progressive Party.
Meanwhile, Siew dismissed concerns about a recent series of disputes which have overshadowed cross-strait relations, saying that ties are on the right track from a long-term perspective.
“There have been ups and downs regarding cross-strait ties over the past dozens of years. While there is no need to feel too contented when things go smoothly; there is also no need to feel frustrated if any upset erupts,” he said. “Generally speaking, ties between the two sides are peaceful and stable, they are not expected to be impacted negatively.”
As for a possible meeting with Xi and its implications, Siew asked the public not to be too anxious.
China’s state-run Global Times recently accused Taiwanese intelligence authorities of trying to recruit Chinese students studying in Taiwan to spy on China.
The government has denied the allegations.
The Taipei-based United Daily News suggested last week that the spying charges might be a reprisal for the investigation launched in August into former Mainland Affairs Council deputy minister Chang Hsien-yao’s （張顯耀） handling of the government’s China policy.
Chang stepped down in August over allegations that he leaked confidential information and he was later accused of leaking state secrets.
He has denied the charges and the case is still under investigation.
Taiwan’s leaders have been barred from APEC summits due to objections from Beijing, and the president is usually represented instead by senior economic advisers or business leaders.
That post was filled by Former Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Koo Chen-fu （辜振甫） from 1995 to 1997; by central bank Governor Perng Fai-nan （彭淮南） in 2000; by former Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh （李遠哲） from 2002 to 2004; and by former vice president Lien Chan （連戰） from 2009 to 2012.
The APEC ministerial meeting is scheduled for Friday and Saturday; the CEO summit is to be held on Sunday and Monday; and the economic leaders’ meeting is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday next week.
Minister of Economic Affairs Woody Duh （杜紫軍） leaves on Thursday for Beijing to take part in the ministerial meeting.（Additional reporting by staff writer）
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
