A legislator of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) suggested yesterday that Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) serve as a senior adviser to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to help enable Wang attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in South Korea.
KMT Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) made the remarks during a legislative committee meeting in which Vice Foreign Minister Michael Kau (高英茂) and MOFA-affiliated International Cooperation and Development Fund Secretary-General Chen Cheng-chung reported on the implementation of MOFA's foreign aid budget.
Chiang inquired about South Korea's response toward President's Chen's announcement last week that Wang will serve as his envoy to attend the APEC summit meeting.
China has voiced vehement opposition to Wang's assignment, saying that according to a memorandum of understanding signed in 1992 before Taiwan -- formally designated in APEC as Chinese Taipei -- joined the organization, Taiwan can only send its "minister in charge of APEC-related economic affairs" to attend the meeting, and that since then, APEC "has operated on this basis."
Kau said that the response from South Korea on Wang is negative, showing the effect of China's protests.
"Taiwan is currently negotiating with South Korea on this matter," Kau said. He added that he has learned indirectly that South Korea hopes the envoy will have a financial or economics background.
For this, Chiang said that MOFA should provide correct information to the president so that "his choice of envoy won't be rejected outright," which could hurt national dignity, as well as Wang.
Chiang said that if President Chen still wants Wang to go, he can invite Wang to serve as a senior adviser and go in that capacity, noting that C. F. Koo (
"If Wang still can't go, a second candidate could be P.K. Chiang (江丙坤)," Chiang also suggested.
In an interview with SetTV which aired last night, the president reiterated his decision to have Wang serve as his proxy to the APEC leaders' summit.
P.K. Chiang, currently a KMT vice chairman and a legislator, once served as the chairman of the nation's economic planning agency -- the Council for Economic Planning and Development. P.K. Chiang attended the APEC summit meeting in 1993 on behalf of then-President Lee Teng-hui (
Additional reporting by Chiu Yu-tzu
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