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Economics minister threatens pullout from APEC summit

Taiwan might not participate in the informal leaders' summit of the APEC forum slated for October in Shanghai unless the country is treated with dignity by host-country China, Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) said yesterday.

Lin made the comment during an interview on a local radio station after Beijing faxed an invitation to Taipei authorities instead of presenting the invitation to the Oct. 20 APEC summit by envoy, an act considered by Taiwan as an act of contempt.

Lin said Beijing has no reason to deny President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) the right to attend the summit, even though former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) had refrained from taking part in the gathering in person in the past out of concern that Beijing would boycott the summit.

Though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is protesting the snub through other countries, Taiwan will withdraw from the Shanghai summit unless it is treated with dignity, Lin said.

The minister also threatened Beijing with the use of exclusion clauses under the WTO. Those rules allow a member state to exempt other member states from favorable trade treatment should Beijing try to block Taiwan's bid to enter the WTO.

Both Taiwan and China are expected to be approved as WTO members when the organization meets in Qatar in November.

Should Taiwan fail to be admitted during that meeting, Lin said the nation may try to gain admittance to the world trade body at subsequent meetings.
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