The opposition just can't bear to give Vice President Annette Lu (
Anyone familiar with international affairs knows that it is naive to say that a contract the size of the LNG one can be made in just one meeting. It is even less likely that any inter-governmental commitment would take place under such hasty circumstances. Skeptics will probably say that Taiwan probably began negotiating with the Indonesian government on the LNG deal long before Lu thought of visiting Jakarta. However, Indonesia's strong interest in landing such a contract with Taiwan was surely prompted by Beijing's decision to sign an LNG contract with Australia, rather than Jakarta, a few days before Lu's trip. In other words, there was simply no time for any under-the-table deal with the Indonesian government.
Moreover, in view of the size of the deal, had the contract been previously promised to Jakarta, surely it would have extended much better treatment to Lu. She would have been able to go directly to Jakarta instead of making a detour to Bali first. She would have been able to openly meet a lot of top government officials and politicians. After all, money does wonders when one is looking for new friends.
In all likelihood, Lu simply informed the Indonesian government that Taiwan was interested in buying LNG and invited Jakarta to make a bid. That is certainly no crime. After all, the WTO allows the purchasing government to contact or invite sellers it deems capable of providing the needed goods to bid for the contract. So long as Taiwan complies with the transparency and non-discrimination requirements, along with other procedural requirements, it is in line with the WTO rules.
Moreover, Taiwan Power Co (
As for the ban on the importation of Indonesian workers, the Council of Labor Affairs has remained consistent on the conditions for lifting the ban. Lu's trip did, however, convince the Indonesian government of Taipei's hope to resolve differences on the issue and prompt it to send a delegation to negotiate the matter. There has been nothing to suggest that Lu overstepped the bounds of her role.
Lu's visit will be beneficial to everyone in Taiwan, not just the DPP. Why can't the opposition understand this and rejoice like everyone else for a change?
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