Taiwan responded on Thursday to criticism from China over it’s pick for an envoy to an upcoming APEC Economic Leaders’ summit in Lima, Peru.
The Presidential Office announced on Wednesday that President Tsai Ing-wen had chosen James Soong as her envoy. Soong is the chair of the minor opposition People First Party (PFP).
But China’s Taiwan Affairs Office objected, saying that Taiwanese representatives to APEC "should comply with the relevant provisions of the APEC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)" which bars Taiwanese political leaders from attending the APEC summit.
In Taipei, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Eleanor Wang responded saying that she cannot comment on the Chinese objection, because the foreign ministry is not responsible for Beijing-related issues. She said that Taiwan did sign the MOU in 1991 when Taiwan joined APEC. However, Wang said, the first APEC Economic Leaders’ summit did not take place until 1993, after the memorandum was signed. Therefore, she said, the provisions stated in the MOU could not apply to a meeting that did not yet exist.
Wang said that APEC is an international organization that seeks to include as many economic bodies as possible and to bring about effective economic cooperation. She said Taiwan has not given up on its right to have its head of state attend APEC summit meetings.
Meanwhile, Presidential Office spokesperson Alex Huang said Thursday afternoon that Taiwan is a member of APEC, and it has the full rights and responsibility of participation, so there should be no problem with its pick for APEC envoy. He stressed that as a formal member, Taiwan has the right to participate, and there is a long precedent for its participation.
Huang said that the choice of Soong, who comes from a different political party than President Tsai and her administration, means that he has different political ideas, or can even be considered a competitor. However, the spokesperson said that when it comes to foreign affairs, Taiwan does not distinguish between different parties, but rather, takes a unified approach to other countries.