Although Taiwan's ministers at APEC cannot take part in a foreign ministers' meeting tomorrow to discuss anti-terrorism measures, Taipei's delegation did attend related discussions on a draft declaration on terrorism yesterday, sources said.
"This morning our colleagues took part in discussions on the draft declaration on anti-terrorism," Shen Ssu-tsun (沈斯淳), the APEC senior official in Taiwan's foreign ministry, told the press in Shanghai yesterday.
China confirmed on Monday that Taipei's two ministers in charge of economic affairs, who arrived at Shanghai on Monday for the two-day APEC ministerial meeting slated to begin today, would not take part in a working breakfast meeting between the Chinese foreign minister and his counterparts from the regional grouping.
"The discussion will be confined to foreign ministers only, so I don't think [Taiwan's ministers will attend]," said China's Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya (
Shen said Taipei's delegation in Shanghai will seek to gain details of the discussions.
Shen also said that discussions during the breakfast meeting, which is taking place on the sidelines of APEC, would be confined to specific anti-terrorism measures.
"These include specific military actions, information exchanges as well as law enforcement policies," Shen said on Monday.
"But the discussion on APEC's anti-terrorism declaration will recommence during the informal leaders' meeting," said Shen, stressing that Taiwan under the APEC umbrella still has a voice to be heard on the issue.
"We've been able to take part in all of the discussions on terrorism under APEC's umbrella, which took place during the senior officials' meeting, the ministerial meeting, as well as the leaders' meeting," said Shen, who is also the director-general of the foreign ministry's department of international organizations.
China said Taiwan could voice its opinions on the issue during related discussions during the APEC summit.
"I am sure that whoever will come to Shanghai to attend the leaders' meeting will be participating in the discussions on the anti-terrorism issue," Wang said, adding that Taipei is no exception.
Taipei and Beijing have yet to finalize Taiwan's representative for the summit.
During the APEC meetings in New Zealand in 1999, talks among the group's foreign ministers on the then shaky situation in East Timor also excluded Taiwan's ministers.
Taiwan's foreign minister and vice foreign minister cannot attend APEC, an agreement reached by China, Taiwan and intermediary South Korea, during negotiations leading up to the entry of Taipei, Beijing and Hong Kong into APEC in 1991.
The rule was stipulated in two memorandums of understanding -- one between Taipei and Seoul and one between Beijing and Seoul -- which were also endorsed by the 15 members of the regional grouping.
Chen Po-chih (
"One of the causes of terrorism in economic terms is the uneven distribution of income and development in the international community. Taiwan will address this aspect based on our experiences," Chen said.
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