Former vice president Lien Chan (連戰), Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC leaders’ summit in Yokohama, Japan, yesterday reaffirmed Taipei’s support for regional economic integration, adding that such a process should be inclusive — a remark that raised speculation about the possibility of Taiwan being excluded.
“Although the creation of a Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP] or ‘ASEAN Plus N’ are both possible pathways to achieve a Free Trade Area of Asia-Pacific [FTAAP] and are the focus of discussion, we must not forget [that] liberalization of trade and investment, as well as trade facilitation, are important foundations for a future FTAAP,” Lien, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) stand-in as Taiwan’s presidents are barred from attending because of Chinese interference, told the meeting.
“We therefore urge the formation process of [the] FTAAP to be in accordance with the principle of ‘open regionalism’ outlined by the APEC,” he said.
Photo: EPA
As a member of APEC, Taiwan will continue to seek multilateral cooperation with other member economies for the benefit of all, Lien said.
This was not the first time Lien emphasized “inclusive growth” at the weekend’s meetings.
During his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) on Saturday, Lien told the Chinese leader that “Taiwan should not be skipped” in international economic organizations.
At separate press conferences on Saturday and yesterday, Lien also said that economic growth among Asia-Pacific countries should be “inclusive.”
Lien’s emphasis on inclusiveness has raised speculation among reporters at the scene that he may have concluded from the weekend’s meetings that Taiwan could be excluded from regional economic integration, whether through ASEAN Plus N — the term used to describe East Asian economic integration with Southeast Asian countries — or through the TPP.
Asked by the Taipei Times during an afternoon press conference whether Taiwan could be excluded from regional economic integration, Lien limited his answer to underscoring the importance of regional economic integration.
He said the TPP issue would be further discussed during an APEC meeting in New Zealand next month and would be brought up again at the APEC summit meetings in Hawaii next year.
Asked by other media if Taiwan had discussed free-trade agreements (FTA) with other economies during the meetings, Lien said: “We have discussed many issues, [but] I don’t think you can call it an FTA — not under the so-called FTA framework.”
Aside from economic issues, many foreign media also demonstrated an interest in the meeting between Lien and Hu on Saturday, and asked if Lien had discussed political issues, invited Hu to visit Taiwan or asked China to remove missiles aimed at Taiwan.
“No, I did not invite [Hu] to visit Taiwan, nor did I mention the missiles,” Lien said.
“We concentrated mainly on economic issues, that is already a lot. Because of time constraints, we didn’t have time to deal in depth in all other perspectives of our relationship,” Lien said. “I -personally did propose that we should create the conditions and grasp the opportunity to strengthen our communication and piling up or building up of good work in the process of negotiation in the future.”
“This applies not only to the economic field, but other fields as well. I don’t know if you’d call it political or not,” he said.
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