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APEC envoy goes through the motions

Taiwan is an independent and sovereign country, and will try to resolve misunderstandings and differences with China through dialogue, presidential envoy to the APEC summit Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) said yesterday.

Lin was responding to a question at a press conference on whether US President George W. Bush's endorsement of Taiwan's democracy would spur President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to more actively seek independence.

Bush's remarks and advice for Chinese leaders to follow the example of Taiwan in a speech in Japan on Wednesday has made headlines around the world.

Lin said that Bush had also encouraged both sides to talk.

"APEC, for example, is a very good platform to conduct the dialogue," said Lin, a former vice premier and now senior presidential adviser.

"I would like to meet [Chinese] President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) and exchange views on trade issues and other matters with him," he said.

Lin said he also hoped that Chen could talk with Hu in person at the next APEC summit in Vietnam.

Lin said that the emergence of China as a regional power had aroused anxiety among neighboring countries that it may endanger its peaceful relations with them. Only by adopting democracy would these neighbors' concerns be eased, he said.

Taiwan is also willing to share its experience in promoting democracy with China, he said.

The Chinese foreign ministry responded to Lin's comments later yesterday. At a briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) said there was "no legal basis" for Lin's claim because Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.

Responding to another question about attempts to rewrite Taiwan's Constitution, Lin said the document had been drawn up a long time ago and was out of date, and therefore needed to be amended to cater to contemporary needs.

Lin also talked about Taiwan's contributions to APEC members this year, including a donation of US$500,000 to selected nations for disaster prevention.

Taiwan would also donate another US$500,000 to the Asian Development Bank to help member countries establish anti-terrorism mechanisms, he said.

To help fight the avian flu that has broken out in nine member countries, Taiwan had also proposed a measure to jointly stockpile medicine or vaccines among APEC members, Lin said.

The stockpile could then be used to supply other members as needed, he said.

For example, Taiwan had given Vietnam 600,000 Tamiflu tablets that Taiwan had stored after the SARS outbreak in 2003, Lin said.

Taiwan will raise the issue at an APEC health ministers meeting next year, he said.

The first of these meetings will benefit Taiwan, because member countries have decided to establish a mechanism for tracking the spread of bird flu in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO continues to refuse Taiwanese applications for accession because of unrelenting pressure from China.

digital initiative

Taiwan also aims to extend a computer initiative known as the APEC Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) and rename it "ADOC Plus," Lin said.

ADOC was devised in 2003 to help eliminate the "digital divide" among its member economies by setting up new centers in Vietnam, Chile, Peru, the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

This year, Taiwan will propose expanding the project to improve the economies of the six countries, especially those in remote areas, Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) said.

Experience gained in the aftermath of the devastating 921 Earthquake in 1999, when the government helped remote townships to sell handcrafts or agricultural products on the Internet, would serve as a model for remote areas in the ADOC grouping, Ho said.
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