President Chen Shui-bian (
"We are still waiting for the final confirmation from the host country," a foreign ministry official, who declined to be identified, told the Taipei Times yesterday.
"Siew was the one that was chosen, but so far the response from Brunei and China remains unclear," a source at the National Security Council said.
Chen had originally asked Vice Premier Lai In-jaw (
"Communist China has intervened strongly and stood in the way [of Taiwan's participation], making things difficult for the host country," the Presidential Office said in a statement. "Our government expresses deep regret."
Siew confirmed yesterday that the president telephoned him last week to ask for his willingness to represent Chen at the APEC meeting, and he later reported Chen's proposal to KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Lien said yesterday that if Chen were to make additional appointments of a similar nature, whether short-term or long-term, they should be carried out through cross-party negotiations.
When asked about his willingness to attend the summit, Siew said: "My status requires me to respect the KMT's view on the issue. And if the KMT agrees, I see no reason why I should turn down the offer, considering that the national interest is above partisan interests."
Sources at the Presidential Office said yesterday that Chen's selection of Siew was made partly for domestic political considerations.
Observers say Chen chose Siew to send "friendly signals" to the KMT, which still holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan. Chen and Lien are set to meet tomorrow.
Siew attended APEC summits in Seattle and Indonesia on behalf of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in his capacity as chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development.
Since the meeting of APEC leaders in 1993 outside Seattle, Beijing has pressured the conference's organizers into refusing the participation of Taiwan's president, premier or vice premier at APEC's annual summits.
Observers note that China is scheduled to host the APEC leaders' summit next year. Therefore, Chen's choice on who will represent him to shake hands with Chinese President Jiang Zemin (
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