Taipei Times
Date:  Nov 13, 2015
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday dismissed media reports that Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vanessa Shih (史亞平), despite the sensitivity of her position, circumvented rules to attend the meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to take credit for the event.

“The report is unsubstantiated. Reporters from around the world were going to report on the Ma-Xi meeting in Singapore on Saturday last week, and the ministry was responsible for arranging administrative affairs and contacting reporters,” Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said yesterday.

Lin said Shih originally planned to attend a business meeting overseas, but was asked by the ministry to fly to Singapore a day prior to the Ma-Xi meeting to help with preparations.

Shih was not in Singapore in her personal capacity, Lin said, dismissing allegations that she had attempted to take credit for the meeting.

Lin was responding to an article published by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) yesterday, that said that Shih had bypassed rules barring foreign affairs officials from participating in cross-strait events, by applying for a leave of absence and attending the Ma-Xi meeting under the pretense of traveling in her personal capacity.     [FULL  STORY]