Shih welcomes talks with PRC leader

Stan Shih (施振榮), the nation's special envoy to the APEC summit on behalf of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), said he was willing to exchange views with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) on improving mutual benefits to ensure cross-strait peace during the meeting.

"Taiwan and China have intensive exchanges in trade, culture and education," Shih said during a press conference after arriving in Sydney.

Shih, who arrived yesterday afternoon, was given a red carpet welcome and received by Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Greg Hunt at the airport.

"We should sit down and express our good will ... We don't want to see tense relations between the two sides," Shih said.

That's the message Shih said he would like to convey to Hu when they meet, as well as a response to what Hu said about the situation across the Taiwan Strait.

Hu said in a meeting on Thursday with US President George W. Bush that this year and next year will be "a highly dangerous period for the two sides of Taiwan Strait."

Hu also said that Washington sides with Beijing in opposing any changes to the "status quo."

Tensions between Taiwan and China have risen in the wake of the ruling and opposition parties' push for separate referendums on Taiwan's application for membership in the UN.

"As Taiwanese media have stressed, Taiwan is an independent country, and the push to apply for membership in UN through a referendum is a democratic exercise," Shih said.

In Sydney, a quarter-page ad placed by Taiwanese-Australian communities urging the Canberra government to support Taiwan's UN referendum bid appeared in the Australian, the nation's largest newspaper.

"We, representing various Taiwanese communities in Australia, urge the Australian government, as one of the most advanced democracies in the world, to support Taiwan's legitimate case," the ad sponsored by former presidential adviser Chiou Chwei-liang (邱垂亮), the Taiwan Institute in Australia and the Australian Federation of Taiwanese Associations.

Shih will meet leaders from APEC members, including Hu, during the two-day summit that starts today. He will also share the same table with leaders and business representatives from Canada, Singapore, Russia and Australia during the "ABAC Dialogue with Leaders" today.

"I will put all my efforts into promoting interaction with leaders from other member countries to deliver Taiwan's message of good will and commitment to APEC," Shih said.

With information technology as his specialty, Shih said he would invite the US, Japan, South Korea and non-governmental organizations to promote the Digital Opportunity Center 2.0 project, which Taiwan proposed in 2003 to bridge the digital divide in some developing member countries.

Shih also delivered Chen's message that Taiwan would fully support the theme of this year's APEC meeting in fighting climate change with the "Green APEC Opportunity Initiative."

Shih said that, as a consultant to the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (電電公會), he would encourage member companies to apply green technology in production.

Susan Wang (王瑞華), deputy chief executive officer of Formosa Plastics Corp (台塑) and one of the Taiwanese business representatives at the summit, said yesterday that Formosa has not adopted any green production but would consider investing in this area in the future.