Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General James Huang today refuted a claim by China that according to Taiwan's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Asia Pacific Economic Conference, Taiwan should not send Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng as the president's proxy to join the APEC Informal Economic Leaders meeting.
Deputy Secretary-General Huang said that President Chen has demonstrated a strong willingness to attend the APEC's Informal Economic Leaders meeting in person when he received Mr. Yun Hai-jung, envoy of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, on October 12. The president added, however, that Taiwan would not embarrass the South Korean government if pressures arise and that he would assign Legislative Speaker Wang as his representative.
The deputy secretary-general noted that the move by the president is a great concession and that China's twisting the spirit of the MOU is unreasonable. Huang said it's particularly astonishing when the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the MOU has stipulated the level of Taiwan's officials to attend the APEC meeting and that Taiwan is only allowed to send ministers related to economic affairs, which in fact has become a routine practice reached between Taiwan and the APEC. The deputy secretary-general called China's allegation as contradictory, and it not only manipulated the history but also showed disrespect to APEC's systems and spirit. Deputy Secretary-General Huang clarified that Taiwan's MOU with the APEC was signed in 1991 before the Informal Economic Leaders' Meeting was created, and therefore, all articles mentioned in the MOU regarding Taiwan's representatives to the APEC meetings are not related to the Informal Economic Leaders Meeting.
Huang refuted China's interference, saying that President Chen has handpicked Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh as his envoy to the meeting for three years, and Lee has not been a minister in charge of economic affairs.
The deputy general-secretary reiterated that President Chen has stressed when receiving Mr. Yun that the appointment of representatives is an internal affair of Taiwan, which is responsible for its own decisions. Other member countries should not interfere over political concerns. Moreover, the president's asking the legislative speaker as his proxy has earned support of both the ruling and opposition parties in Taiwan. China's unreasonable suppression only leads to the resentment of the Taiwan people. The deputy general-secretary urged Beijing not to twist historical fact and mislead the international society. He called on South Korea, host of the APEC meeting this year, to handle the matters related to Taiwan's attending the APEC with care and appropriateness.