Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) returned in triumph from Indonesia last week. This surprise diplomatic attack on Zhongnanhai for the first time rendered PRC President Jiang Zemin's (江澤民) trump card powerless, and Lu's return to Jakarta is like a thrust in his back. But are there any behind-the-scenes stories unknown to the public? Lu made a succinct summary by saying that every second was a battle.
When asked about the motives for her trip, Lu gave a surprising answer. She said the trip was a result of an invitation from Indonesia, rather than a request from Taiwan. Months ago, Lu received a letter from Indonesian Environmental Minister Nabiel Makarim, her classmate at Harvard law school, formally inviting her to visit the country. Following a report to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Lu began to plan for the trip.
During negotiations, the Indonesian side demonstrated its willingness to strengthen exchanges with Taiwan.
According to Lu's analysis, China is a lion, baring fangs and brandishing claws, and Taiwan is the peaceful Hello Kitty, and therefore certainly much more favored. This is Taiwan's fortune and a trend that displays the nation's integral power.
Security leak
Lu's team set last Wednesday as the date for her departure, but the plan was unexpectedly leaked to the media the previous day, turning what was supposed to be a low-key visit into a high-profile affair.
Lu contacted the Indonesian government to make sure of its intent on Tuesday night and agreed to keep Wednesday, 8am as her departure time. She said she would only board the plane if Indonesia guaranteed that there would be no problems with her entry.
After phone contact the next morning, Lu left for Indonesia as scheduled. But as expected, Beijing applied powerful pressure on Jakarta authorities during the flight. Anticipating this, Lu spent her time on board pondering how to negotiate with the Indonesian government after landing.
Originally, Lu's ideal plan was to fly to Bali first and then continue to Jakarta so that she could take advantage of Indonesia's National Day to meet with more people in the capital.
But Indonesia hoped that Lu would go to Jakarta first on the grounds that Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri would lead Cabinet members to present reports in the parliament on the eve of the National Day and it would not be easy to make any arrangements regarding Lu's visit during that time. Lu therefore accepted their suggestion.
But after landing, when entering Indonesia through Jakarta became problematic, Lu returned to her original plan and flew to Bali.
Lu believes that one should be prepared to respond in a flexible manner when traveling abroad. She has said that problem of humiliation does not exist in this regard and the important thing is to achieve one's goals.
Tense times in Bali
The period on Bali was tense, as Lu and her team prepared to return to Jakarta where the Indonesian leadership were in meetings continuously and where there was quite a vocal opposition to Lu's Jakarta visit within the Cabinet.
Lu then applied counter-pressure on the Indonesian government, saying that the eyes of Taiwan were on Indonesia and the way it would treat her. Pointing out that there are many Taiwanese businesspeople in Indonesia, that 90 percent of tourists to Bali are Taiwanese and that there are about 100,000 Indonesian workers in Taiwan, she asked them what she should tell the Taiwanese people if she were treated in an undignified manner.
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