A National Development Council (NDC) meeting with former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo did not include discussion of Taiwanese investment in a company, as local media had reported, the agency said yesterday.
The discussions at the meeting last week focused on global economic conditions, NDC Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said in a statement amid reports that Pompeo was seeking government investment in Anarock Global Partners.
The NDC said it welcomes cooperation with foreign enterprises to create opportunities for investment and to strengthen the economy, adding that contact between the council and foreign companies is normal.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The Chinese-language United Daily News on Friday reported that Pompeo was using his four-day visit to Taiwan to lobby for government investment in Anarock from pension, labor and national development funds.
The report said that Pompeo and Anarock chief investment officer Gino Ramadi in July met with Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) to discuss possible investment of government-managed funds.
After the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) asked government agencies — such as the NDC, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Civil Service, Ministry of Economic Affairs and the central bank — to submit assessments for possible cooperation with foreign asset management firms, the newspaper said.
MOFA yesterday denied the report in a statement, saying it was an affront to Pompeo’s reputation.
MOFA deputy spokesperson Tsuei Ching-lin (崔靜麟) said the ministry does not handle investment issues, although it does forward information on potential investment opportunities to relevant authorities.
The report was intended to discredit the government and allies such as Pompeo, Tsuei said.
The NDC confirmed that it conducted an assessment of investment opportunities in the US on behalf of MOFA in July or August last year, although no decision on investments was made.
The NDC’s meeting with Pompeo was unrelated to investment in Anarock, the council said, adding that the report was based on speculation.
Pompeo’s itinerary for his visit from Wednesday to yesterday showed that he met with representatives of several Taiwanese companies, including I-Mei Foods, China Steel, Powerchip Semiconductor and Formosa International Hotels.
He also held a virtual meeting with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing chairman Mark Liu (劉德音), who thanked Pompeo for supporting the company’s US$12 billion investment in an Arizona wafer fab during his tenure as US secretary of state.
Separately, the government-affiliated Prospect Foundation yesterday said that it had signed an agreement with a US agency for Pompeo to give a paid speech in Taipei on Friday, adding that paying high-profile figures for appearances is an accepted practice.
The statement was issued after the Chinese-language new site CNews reported that Pompeo was paid US$150,000 for the speech, under the terms of an agreement signed by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US and Premiere Speakers Bureau, a firm that represents motivational, keynote and political speakers.
Pompeo concluded his visit yesterday afternoon and departed with his delegation to Singapore.
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