Wed, Oct 17, 2001 page2

• NSC preps Li on APEC conference

  UNWAVERING STANCE Former vice president Li Yuan-zu attended a national security briefing on APEC yesterday, a sign officials don't want any other representative to attend the leaders' summit this weekend

  • By Joyce Huang / STAFF REPORTER
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  Former vice president Li Yuan-zu (李元簇) attended a briefing pres-ented by the National Security Council (NSC) yesterday in preparation for his planned attendance at the APEC leaders' summit this weekend.

  The briefing was a strong sign that government officials want no one else to represent Taiwan at the meeting.

  

  A group of Western tourists gather on the banks of the Yangtze River across from the Oriental Pearl TV tower in Shanghai yesterday. Chinese authorities have tightened security throughout the city in the run-up to the APEC meetings.

  PHOTO: LU CHUN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES

  Beijing has asked Taipei to submit the name of a new candidate to attend the leaders' summit, but Taiwan has so far refused to do so.

  "Under the NSC's arrange-ments, the ministries governing foreign affairs, economic affairs, finance and cross-strait relations will, in succession, brief Li on the country's participation in APEC in the coming days," a presidential aide told The Taipei Times yesterday.

  The aide said that Li was "a quick learner with a clear mind."

  Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪), a spokeswoman for the Presidential Office, said yesterday that government officials had no desire to bow to China's demands that a new name be submitted to Beijing.

  "No replacement has been under consideration and negotiations are still ongoing through diplomatic channels," Kuo said.

  The Presidential Office expects that China will extend its goodwill to Taiwan and accept Li at the international meeting, Kuo added.

  But she refused to comment on whether President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) would follow the "Koo precedent" by appointing Li as a consultant to the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD).

  Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), Taiwan's cross-strait negotiator, was able to attend previous APEC leaders' meetings after receiving a last-minute appointment to the CEPD as a special consultant.

  Analysts speculate that Li may also be designated as a consultant in order to satisfy Beijing.

  China has argued that only the attendance of Taiwanese Cabinet ministers in charge of economic affairs will be accepted, saying that would be in line with APEC's established practices.

  But some observers remain pessimistic that the deadlock can be broken, as China has insisted that Taiwan should find another suitable candidate.

  Former CEPD chairman Chiang Ping-kun (江丙坤) noted that a substitute candidate would have very little time to prepare for the meeting.

  In addition, the Taiwan Independence Party also weighed in on the dispute, criticizing China's behavior.

  "China has no right to `permit' or `decide' Taiwan's representation at APEC," the party said in a written statement. "China has obviously violated Taiwan's sovereignty."

  Party Chairman Boonky Ho (何文杞) added that while the party does not support Li's attendance at the APEC summit, China has no right to ask Taiwan for a new name.
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