Taipei Times: What do you think of Brunei's handling of this year's APEC meetings so far?
Wang Guangya (王光亞): I think Brunei has done a fairly good job. It's not an easy task given Brunei is indeed a small country with a small population. But Brunei can handle the meeting so efficiently, so it important that China, especially Shanghai, learn from the country. While Shanghainese are fastidious and efficient, they sometimes should avoid being overly confident of themselves.
TT: What strikes you as the most impressive operation here that deserves China's attention?
Wang: What impresses me most is the efficient operation in the International Convention Center (the main venue for this year's APEC meetings). Not many local supporting staff are working in the center yet operations have run quite smoothly. This is something we can learn from Brunei. Another impressive thing is the smooth transportation arrangements. Of course the traffic in Brunei is typically smooth, even before APEC meetings started. But next year in Shanghai to make transportation that smooth will require further effort.
TT: Do you mean you are worried about the traffic jams in Shanghai?
Wang: No, we've decided that the APEC summit and the ministerial meeting will be held in Shanghai's Pudong District where traffic is not so heavy. What worries me is how we handle the fleet of leaders' cars once all of them reach a certain venue at the same time, and whether they'll get stuck.
The building for the leaders' summit is under construction in the Pudong area, and is scheduled for completion next April. The building was originally designed as a technology museum, and part of the building will be used as the venue for the summit before the whole building formally begins operations.
TT: China Telecom has dispatched a large team of staff to help Brunei television with related facilities. Is this arrangement part of China's learning process?
Wang: I think our learning process has been ongoing for many years. Each time we observe how a host country handles the APEC meetings, we find new things to learn.
TT: What do you see as the pitfalls in Brunei's handling of APEC meetings this year?
Wang: Generally speaking, the operation is satisfying. But I think the biggest problem here will be accommodations. The existing hotel capacity (about 3,000 beds) can't satisfy the demand (about 6,000 beds), so some apartments will be used as temporary accommodations. In this regard, Shanghai may have better conditions as hotel capacity there should be big enough to meet the related demand.
TT: Regarding Taiwan's participation in next year's APEC meetings in China, China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (
Wang: We've had contacts with our colleagues from Taiwan during this year's APEC meetings. There shouldn't be any trouble as everything will be dealt with in accordance with protocol established in the past.
TT: But according to the established practice, APEC's host country would dispatch a special envoy to deliver the invitation to Taiwan's president regarding the summit.
Wang: I think (a brief pause) ... I've invited Taiwan to dispatch related officials to Beijing in December for a discussion. China will take over at the end of this year's APEC meeting.
TT: Do you mean Taiwan's foreign ministry officials will visit Beijing to discuss the issue? And will they contact China's foreign ministry officials?
Wang: They'll send officials in charge of related affairs. But it will be limited to working-level officials as the discussions will center on accommodation arrangements and other procedural details. And they'll talk to staff at China's APEC organizing committee. Taiwan and China have interacted with each under APEC's umbrella for many years, so there shouldn't be any problem. Beijing is confident it can handle the issue, and Taiwan should feel confident as well.
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