APEC Leader’s Representative Lin Hsin-i holds international press conference
At the 2024 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) in Peru that concluded at noon on November 16 (local time), Senior Advisor to the President and Chairman of Taiwania Capital Management Corporation Lin Hsin-i served as Taiwan’s leader’s representative. Leader’s Representative Lin participated in the full meeting and conveyed Taiwan’s ideas and positions, successfully completing his mission for the AELM.
On the afternoon of the same day, Leader’s Representative Lin convened an international press conference in Lima in which he explained the APEC meeting process and outcomes, and responded to questions from reporters.
In his remarks, Leader’s Representative Lin said that at this APEC summit, the issues of concern were much the same for all member economies. Everyone was concerned about how to cooperate and address common challenges including geopolitics, changing global circumstances, epidemics, energy, inflation, food supply security, industrial supply chain resilience, and climate change, he said. He added that resolving gaps in economic growth was also an issue of concern, as economic prosperity and growth have not benefited everyone.
Leader’s Representative Lin indicated that at the meeting, he called for a focus on the quality of economic growth. In the past, he said, emphasis was placed on the benefits of economic growth, and reaching supply targets in a timely manner using supply chains for centralized production. Currently, however, supply chains are fragmented, shortened, and more decentralized and glocalized, he said. The empowerment of disadvantaged groups is also an important issue, and finding ways to further economically empower disadvantaged groups including women and indigenous peoples, and transform informal economies into formal economies, are issues of concern for everyone, he said.
Leader’s Representative Lin went on to point out that APEC members highly value AI technology. He said that AI is used in many fields, and the government and private sector are very concerned about how to engage in dialogue and cooperate, and work together to conceive of ways to regulate AI applications properly to allow them to become useful tools that do not pose a threat to humankind, and ensure AI ethics and governance.
Leader’s Representative Lin stated that one of this delegation’s important missions was to help members understand Taiwan’s concrete actions and contributions to APEC, citing examples in two areas. Regarding the reduction of food loss and waste, he indicated, in 2013 Taiwan advocated a multi-year plan to strengthen public-private partnerships to reduce food loss and waste in supply chains, which many economies supported. As for how digital and innovative tools can be utilized to strengthen food systems during exchanges between economies, he went on, Taiwan has shared food loss reduction measures including encouraging local consumption and applying AI technology to adjust production schedules for agricultural products. Leader’s Representative Lin stated that as the lead economy for the Implementation Plan of the Food Security Roadmap Towards 2030, in the latter half of 2025 we will share with members how to boost APEC economies by developing storage and packaging technology, and especially for developing economies, how to build capabilities to prevent and decrease food loss and food waste to enhance APEC region food security.
Leader’s Representative Lin also mentioned that, as the leader of the Digital Health Sub-working Group of APEC’s Health Working Group, Taiwan is actively promoting matters including epidemic prevention applications, telemedicine, and digital health governance, becoming a key digital health platform for APEC. That sub-working group published reports in both 2022 and 2023 summarizing each economy’s performance in using digital applications in healthcare since the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to use telemedicine to promote equal rights to health, he said.
Leader’s Representative Lin stated that through the Do AI Locally Yourself program, Taiwan’s APEC Business Advisory Council representatives shared how to enable medical practitioners to develop AI models from medical data and images without needing to know how to code. He remarked that more than 20 groups from 16 economies have already participated in the program, developing 41 AI-driven medical programs, 80 comprehensive training courses, and 73 AI models, utilizing the local languages of each economy to help build the AI skills of local medical personnel. Taiwan enterprises have also made numerous contributions in the smart healthcare sector, he said, one example being the use of fundus tomography to detect macular degeneration, a procedure now used in 306 hospitals in 11 countries. These kinds of concrete actions are very well-received, he said.
Leader’s Representative Lin said that Taiwan is using its outstanding medical and digital sectors to promote digital health in APEC regions. In the future, he said, Taiwan will work with other economies to explore issues including responding to the challenges of health integration, promoting people-centered integrated care, and nutrition for elderly populations, as well as preventing dengue fever epidemics to enhance the health and well-being of people in APEC member countries. These are all efforts by the delegation to showcase Taiwan’s capabilities and contributions we can make during all meetings, conversations, and mealtime exchanges, he said.
When asked about interactions with other leaders, Leader’s Representative Lin said that the delegation used this opportunity to conduct bilateral talks with some economies, and also exchanged simple greetings and held conversations on the sidelines. Conversations were wide-ranging, he said, citing examples including future cooperation opportunities between Taiwan and other economies, the respective development needs of both sides, and what assistance can be provided, with all leading to favorable results. In response to a question about interaction with China’s President Xi Jinping, Leader’s Representative Lin said that casual interactions occurred with representatives from every member economy.
Regarding talks with United States President Joe Biden, Leader’s Representative Lin said that like bilateral talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, his discussions with President Biden covered a wide range of topics. He stated that he thanked the US for its long-term support for Taiwan and invited President Biden to visit Taiwan at an appropriate time in the future, and received a very cordial, positive response.
When asked about ways to promote and maintain Taiwan-Peru commercial relations, Leader’s Representative Lin said that our countries have complementary industries, citing Peru as the world’s largest producer of silver and second-largest producer of copper, and the recent discovery of high-grade lithium. Lithium is an important raw material for high-tech industries including semiconductors and electric vehicles, he said, and he looks forward to future opportunities for cooperation.
Asked about the direction of further developments between Taiwan and Japan and his impressions of Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, Leader’s Representative Lin said that Prime Minister Ishiba has extensive professional knowledge about defense, and there is much room for cooperation between our two countries in terms of mutual defense and disaster prevention. In terms of industrial cooperation, and taking semiconductors as an example, he said that Japan is exceptionally strong in raw materials and equipment, while Taiwan has an advantage in manufacturing process technology. Cooperation in that sector will become closer and closer, he said, which will drive vendor and supply chain adjustments, with many opportunities for discussions in other areas.
When asked how Taiwan’s global impact has changed between the first time he participated in APEC in 2000 and today, Leader’s Representative Lin said that the global economic situation has changed over the past 20 years, previously pursuing economic prosperity but now seeking economic security. He said that in 2000, he proposed “glocalization,” emphasizing that only internationalization with local characteristics could last. Localization, however, now means decentralization and having a backup, he said.
For the past 20 years, Leader’s Representative Lin indicated, Taiwan has played an indispensable, stable, and important role in global supply chains, with a large presence especially in the fields of high tech and semiconductors. Therefore, he said, the level of importance that everyone gives Taiwan is different than it was 20 years ago.
Regarding China’s suppression of Taiwan’s international participation, Leader’s Representative Lin responded that he participated in the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Doha in 2001, and fought for and won Taiwan’s WTO accession. At that time, he said, Taiwan was the world’s 15th largest economy, and with support from Japan, the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia, we smoothly became a WTO member. Leader’s Representative Lin said that going back to square one, he believes the important thing is the kinds of strengths that Taiwan possesses which make everyone feel Taiwan should be allowed to participate in the organization.
Leader’s Representative Lin then asked Minister without Portfolio of the Executive Yuan Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) to explain the status of Taiwan’s preparations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Internally, she said, a comprehensive assessment of laws and regulations shows that they are all aligned with international standards, and the relevant departments frequently communicate internally with stakeholders and implement countermeasures for the future. Internationally, she continued, CPTPP applicants for membership must abide by the three Auckland Principles, fully meeting the high standards contained in the agreement and complying with its trade commitments as determined by a consensus of all CPTPP members. Minister Yang said that Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Economic Affairs have both used various occasions of all kinds to promote this endeavor, exchanging views with CPTPP members to solicit support for our application. They have also explained to members that if Taiwan can join the CPTPP, the resulting expansion of the CPTPP’s GDP power internationally is most important, and countries should not subject our case to political considerations, she said.
Minister Yang also mentioned that this year’s APEC theme refers to digital and environmental issues, and that these two issues require international cooperation. She said that given our importance in international supply chains, Taiwan’s CPTPP membership could help other countries work together to promote supply chain resilience. In addition, she said, we will work together with everyone in areas including climate, digital governance, and digital information protection, so Taiwan’s accession will contribute to the region as a whole.
In response to a question about China’s announcement that it will host the APEC meetings in 2026, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) explained that generally speaking, the host countries for the next three years or so are decided at each year’s AELM. He said that while Korea and Vietnam were confirmed as the respective hosts for 2025 and 2027, the host for 2026 had been left hanging. Because China proposed to host the meetings relatively late, he said, many member economies felt that communication prior to this year’s AELM was insufficient.
Deputy Secretary-General Hsu stated that in the APEC system, all decisions are based on consensus. He said that in response to China’s bid to host APEC 2026, we pointed out that participants from all economies may be affected by China’s 22-point set of “guidelines for punishing Taiwan independence separatists,” and that other economies have also raised various concerns and asked for clarifications or assurances from the Chinese side. Deputy Secretary-General Hsu indicated that after thorough discussions among all member economies, China committed to abide by APEC regulations, conventions, and practices to ensure that all members have equal rights to participate in the meetings in a dignified manner, and to properly safeguard the personal safety of all participants. Based on the commitment China made, all economies finally reached a consensus to approve China as the host for APEC 2026, he said.