President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration was extremely low-key yesterday on a media report saying that China has delivered an invitation to Taiwan for this year’s APEC summit in Beijing through an official at the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) last week.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily reported yesterday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council passed the letter on to Ma after they received it from TAO Deputy Director Gong Qinggai (龔清概), who arrived in Taiwan for a visit on Aug. 25.
The Apply Daily said the government received the letter on Friday.
Presidential Office spokesman Ma Wei-kuo (馬瑋國) yesterday declined to confirm the report, referring media inquiries to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Anna Kao (高安) said only that China has sent an envoy to Taiwan to deliver an invitation to this year’s summit.
Kao declined to reveal any more details, saying that the case will be handled according to protocol.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) called the move by Gong an attempt of China to downgrade Taiwan’s sovereignty and disregard for Ma’s wish to meet with Xi.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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