Taiwan will support any reform projects that would result in APEC treating all its members more fairly, but will strongly oppose any arrangement which sabotages the nation's rights and dignity, President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen chaired a high-level meeting yesterday afternoon at which officials from several agencies delivered briefings on the APEC summit in Hanoi later this month.
He added that the US government gave high marks to the nation's special envoy to this year's informal APEC leadership summit.
Chen on Monday appointed Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co chairman Morris Chang (
This year's leadership summit is scheduled for Nov. 18 and 19. A ministerial meeting will be held on Nov. 15 and 16, and a senior officials' meeting will be held on Nov. 12 and 13.
He instructed the officials to launch a promotional campaign explaining to the international community that China was employing a "united front" tactic to prevent Taiwan from participating in international activities.
Despite China's suppression of Taiwan and the international community's unwillingness to stand up against China, the nation must not underestimate itself, Chen said.
"We must have confidence in ourselves, because we have space in the international arena in the areas of politics, economy, technology and culture," he said.
"We must not flinch in the face of China's intimidation. As long as we are able to go out to the world, the world will see the value of our existence," Chen said.
Over the past 15 years since Taiwan gained accession to APEC, there have been several incidents in which China, who is also a member of the 21-economy group, attempted to limit the nation's international presence. In 2001 Taiwan was forced to remove itself from the informal leaders' summit.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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