Taiwan’s Tsai ing-wen offers ‘goodwill gesture’ with Beijing-friendly pick for Apec forum
Tsai intends to send James Soong, an opposition figure who supports ‘one China’, to Peru
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday named James Soong Chu-yu, head of the opposition People First Party, as her proxy for the Apec summit in Peru next month.
But it remains to be seen whether Soong will be able to attend the event, given Beijing’s tepid response to the selection. By custom, it has the final say over who attends on Taipei’s behalf, but has not given any public indication over whether it finds Tsai’s decision appropriate.
“Our position towards this issue has been very clear that Taiwan’s participation in Apec-related activities must be consistent with the relevant provisions of the Apec Memorandum of Understanding,” said An Shanfeng, a spokesman for the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
Taiwan joined the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in 1991 under the name Chinese Taipei at the same time as the mainland. But according to a practice adopted in 1993, the island sends only senior economic officials to the summit.
The choice of Soong is actually a goodwill gesture by Tsai, who does not want to turn the mainland into an enemy
The host country first asks Taiwan to select a representative and then seeks approval from the mainland. Under a three-way consensus, the host country then invites Taiwan.
