Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/09/06
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Romulo Huang
Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) The appointment of a presidential envoy to this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation Forum (APEC) summit is still in the planning stage, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said Tuesday.
Commenting on a local media report that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has invited James Soong (宋楚瑜), chairman of the opposition People First Party, to be her personal envoy, Huang declined to confirm or deny it, saying only that the appointment is still being planned and that it will be made public once the envoy is named.
Taiwan’s national leader is usually invited to the annual APEC leaders’ meeting but is actually “barred” from attending in person because of Beijing’s opposition. Therefore, a special envoy is sent to stand in for the president.
This year’s APEC summit will be held Nov. 20 in Lima, Peru. [FULL STORY]