While the administration has insisted on tackling economic issues before moving to political ones, Lien said that some matters are not purely economics, such as the country’s participation in the World Health Assembly as an observer this year and accession to the Government Procurement Agreement.
On the possibility of a meeting between Ma and Hu, Lien said the timing was not ripe.
At the Presidential Office yesterday, Ma praised Lien for his “excellent intelligence-gathering” before the APEC summit and expressed his surprise at Lien’s relationship with Obama.
Lien and Obama’s great uncle, Charles Payne, attended the University of Chicago together and have been good friends since.
Obama’s first words to Lien when they met at the summit were: “I know you.”
The exchange lasted for 10 minutes, in which Lien said both hoped to keep in touch.
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