President Chen Shui-bian (
"Although it is not satisfactory [to attend as `Chinese Taipei'], we will respect it, since it was the tacit understanding that was originally established," Chen said.
In October 1991, both China and Taiwan signed memorandums of understanding with South Korea, and Taiwan agreed to enter APEC under the name of "Chinese Taipei." Taiwan entered APEC in Seoul in 1991 along with China and Hong Kong.
PHOTO: AFP
But Beijing has repeatedly blocked Taiwan's presidents and foreign ministers from attending the annual forums. As a result, the president must always appoint an envoy to go on his behalf.
"If I were able to attend this year's summit, I would respect the agreement that was originally established and not challenge the title issue," he said.
He said China should have no reason to object to Taiwan attending the meeting as "Chinese Taipei."
Chen made the remarks as he received Kim Jong-hoon, an envoy sent by South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun to deliver an invitation to Chen to attend the APEC leaders' summit in Pusan.
Some 6,000 leaders and officials from 21 APEC countries are expected to take part in the Nov. 18-19 meeting.
Chen told Kim that the summit should be a venue for talks between Taiwan and China's leaders.
Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Chen said it is the international community's expectation that both sides of the Taiwan Strait engage in dialogue and reconcile.
"The APEC leaders' summit is not a political setting. It is the best platform to discuss regional economic cooperation, and a suitable place to let the leaders of the two sides make contact and hold discussions," Chen said.
Taiwanese leaders should not be excluded from the annual summit, as the country, like all other APEC members, is entitled to enjoy its rights and assume its obligations in the organization, he said.
Noting that South Korea had written history in 1991 with its shuttle diplomacy between Taipei and Beijing to negotiate APEC membership, Chen said he hoped "the APEC leaders' summit to be hosted by South Korea this time could write history again."
"I hope President Roh Moo-hyun can help me attend this year's APEC summit in Pusan," he said.
Meanwhile, officials are hedging their bets on Chen's chances of actually attending the summit.
"Numerous factors will impact whether [Chen's participation] will be realized," said an official who wished to remain anonymous. "We will try our best."
The name "Chinese Taipei" was accepted because it offered ample room for interpretation by both Taipei and Beijing. China calls Taipei "Chung-kuo Taipei" (中國台北) since "Chung-ku" is the Mandarin abbreviation for the People's Republic of China, and this address satisfies Beijing's need to proclaim that Taiwan is a part of China. Taiwan calls itself "Chung-hua Taipei" (中華台北), because "Chung-hua" is the abbreviation for the Republic of China.
also see story
Editorial: What's Chen up to this time?
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
RSS