President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) choice of former vice president Li Yuan-zu (李元簇) to attend the upcoming APEC summit in Shanghai on his behalf was not a bad one, scholars and veteran diplomats said yesterday.
"It's a surprising decision, but the surprise is not a bad one," said Joseph Wu, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University.
"China is unlikely to refuse the former vice president, so it's really not a bad option," Wu said.
"But it's a pity that Taiwan's president won't be allowed to attend the summit. Basically, China doesn't care who attends as long as the representative isn't a sitting government official," Wu added.
A veteran diplomat, who declined to be named, echoed Wu's view. "From a professional point of view, China will likely accept the choice since Li is a candidate of little controversy and is no longer in the government," the diplomat said.
Frederick Chien (
"I think it's a wise and proper choice," Chien said at the annual National Day reception yesterday.
"Li is an expert on criminal law. Given the fact that anti-terrorism is one of the themes to be discussed during the summit, Li is probably the most suitable choice among local experts on criminal law who is respected and competent enough to attend the summit on behalf of our country," Chien added.
But Wu said that Chen's appointment of the former vice president didn't necessarily imply that Taipei has managed to enhance its level of representation at the summit as Li -- despite his capacity as a presidential national policy adviser -- is now only "a private citizen."
Wu also said Chen's choice indeed came as a surprise, given those who have represented Taiwan's president at APEC in the past were all sitting Cabinet members in charge of economic and financial affairs.
Since 1993, the year the first meeting of APEC heads of state was held near Seattle, Beijing has pressured the event's organizers to block the participation of Taiwan's president, premier and vice premier at the annual summits.
Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), Taiwan's top negotiator with China, attended APEC summits on behalf of former president Lee Teng-hui (
Taiwan has in the past sent its economic affairs minister, chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, as well as Koo to attend the APEC summits in the president's stead.
APEC was established in 1989 and currently has 21 members. In 1991, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong joined the group, with the requirement that Taiwan be referred to as "Chinese Taipei" and that APEC members be referred to as "economies" rather than "nations."
With a PhD in law, the retired 78-year-old Li is a former justice minister, former president of National Chengchi University and former vice president under Lee Teng-hui.
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