Government quiet on reports of Peru blocking Taiwan's APEC envoy pick

Taipei, Oct. 15 (CNA) Taiwanese officials have declined to comment on media reports that Peru, host of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, rejected Taiwan's proposal to appoint former Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) as Taipei's envoy to the international meeting.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Jeff Liu (劉永健), spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), declined to comment on the reports, citing a show of "respect for Peru" and "mutual trust between the two sides."

The Presidential Office will make an announcement once the candidate for this year's APEC envoy is finalized, Liu added, without indicating when this might happen.

Local media outlet the Liberty Times reported on Monday that President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) selected Chen, who served as deputy of former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) from 2016 to 2020, as the APEC envoy.

The Liberty Times report said that the proposal was later turned down by the South American nation and speculated, without providing evidence, that Beijing had pressured Lima to reject Taipei's candidate.

According to the report, Peru, which will host the APEC Economic Leaders' Week from Nov. 10-16 in Lima, informed the Taiwanese authorities last week that APEC "operates on a consensus basis" and requested that they appoint an alternative "without political baggage."

Chen, an epidemiologist and a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, currently does not hold any official position but works at Academia Sinica, Taiwan's national academy.

Taiwan, which joined APEC in 1991 under the name "Chinese Taipei," has sent special envoys on behalf of its presidents to the APEC economic leaders' meetings over the years.

This is because Beijing, which does not recognize Taiwan as a country and considers it a part of its territory that will eventually be brought under its control -- despite never having ruled Taiwan -- objects to the participation of Taiwanese presidents at the APEC summit.

The Liberty Times report speculated that the president might now appoint Stan Shih (施振榮), founder of Taiwanese laptop manufacturer Acer Inc. Shih served as Taiwan's APEC envoy in 2007.

The annual APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is the most important event for the regional trade bloc, with heads of government from member countries, including the United States and China, expected to participate and hold talks on the sidelines.

James Soong (宋楚瑜), chairman of the People First Party, was appointed by Tsai as the APEC envoy in 2016 and 2017. The post was later taken up by Morris Chang (張忠謀), founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), in 2018 and again from 2020 to 2023.

Speaking on the legislative floor on Tuesday, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said he was not aware of the APEC envoy selection process because the Cabinet was not involved.

However, Cho said it would be "regrettable" if the media reports, which attributed Peru's objection to Chen's appointment to "pressure from China," were true.