Taiwanese Premier Vincent Siew Wan-chang, just back from a controversial trip to Malaysia, vowed last night that Taipei would work 'even more vigorously' to boost its international status.
Amid recent signs of a thaw in cross-strait relations, Mr Siew defied warnings from Beijing and met Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed and Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over lunch on Sunday.
'They are looking at investment opportunities,' a Malaysian official said.
On his return to Taipei, Mr Siew declined to confirm who he had met in Malaysia, but said he believed Malaysia was a good place for Taiwanese businesses to invest.
Mr Siew was widely reported to have discussed possible assistance to Malaysia, including bank loan guarantees, during his visit.
'We cannot allow ourselves to be constrained by the Chinese communists,' he said, reacting to Beijing's accusation that Taipei was exploiting the Asian economic crisis to make diplomatic gains.