Envoy says APEC meeting productive

Taiwan's envoy to the informal leadership summit of the APEC forum, Lin Hsin-yi (林信義), arrived home yesterday from South Korea after attending the two-day summit on behalf of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Lin, the chief economic adviser to Chen, arrived in Taipei around noon yesterday. He told reporters at the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport that he will report to Chen today about the trip and will hold a press conference afterward.

In a news conference held in Busan on Saturday with Taiwanese media after the conclusion of the summit, Lin said that his exchanges with other leaders, both during the summit and on the sidelines, were productive and helpful.

Hu Sheng-cheng (胡勝正), chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, said one of Taiwan's proposals at the meeting, the APEC Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) Plus, has gained Thailand's support.

Taiwan initiated the ADOC concept in 2003 and has helped Peru, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Chile and Papua New Guinea establish ADOCs in an effort to help those countries bridge the digital divide. At this year's summit, Taiwan had proposed to upgrade the ADOC to ADOC Plus in a bid to create jobs for the six countries.

Hu said Taiwan and Thailand had reached consensus on ADOC Plus. Thailand will send representatives to Taiwan for further discussion, he added.