Morris Chang to stress Taiwan's democratic values at APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Hanoi

Morris Chang, chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. and President Chen Shui-bian's special envoy to this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, said on November 10 that Taiwan would continue to make positive and substantive contributions to the international community, and that he would stress Taiwan's pluralistic values of democratization and technological progress at the meeting. In addition, he stated that he would make use of every available opportunity to interact and communicate with leaders of other member economies, thereby increasing their understanding of Taiwan's friendship and contributions.

Chang, who will attend the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on behalf of President Chen for the first time this year, attended a press conference hosted by Minister of the Government Information Office Cheng Wen-tsang today, prior to leaving for Vietnam. Heads of government ministries and agencies that handle APEC-related issues, including Minister of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) Hu Sheng-cheng, Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Ruey-long, and Minister of Finance Ho Chih-chin, were also present.

Chang noted that the theme of this year's APEC meetings in Hanoi is "Towards a Dynamic Community for Sustainable Development and Prosperity," and that Taiwan wholeheartedly approves of this theme and hopes to contribute to that goal. Taiwan supports APEC in deepening and widening its scope of cooperation based on existing foundations, including progress in the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment; economic and technical cooperation; and strengthening human security. In addition, Taiwan looks forward to seeing APEC press ahead toward the goal of becoming a dynamic community of prosperity, peace, and sustainable development.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Tzu-pao said that it has been 15 years since Taiwan became a formal member of APEC in 1991. Over the years, the scope of APEC cooperation has expanded from trade and investment in the early days to include such areas as economic and technical cooperation and human security.

APEC's role as the engine of cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region has continued undiminished up to the present, the deputy minister noted. Yang also praised Chang as an internationally respected business leader and as the person best qualified to embody Taiwan's entrepreneurial spirit.

        

On economic issues, Economics Minister Chen stated that Taiwan would seek to engage in discussions with other member economies to promote regional trade agreements (RTAs) and free trade agreements (FTAs). As this is an issue of great importance to Taiwan, it is currently working to sign FTAs with its major trading partners. If free trade areas can be formed under the APEC framework, it will tally with Taiwan's economic and trade interests.

CEPD Minister Hu stated that the proposals put forward by Taiwan's representative to APEC are formulated primarily in consideration of APEC's yearly theme as well as Taiwan's strength in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry. It is hoped that by implementing these proposals, Taiwan will be able to share its experience in promoting ICT applications, help member economies strengthen their digitalization capacity building, and realize the substantive benefits of turning the digital divide into a digital opportunity.

Finance Minister Ho pointed out that in addition to the issue of the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, countering terrorism is also an important issue to discuss. Taiwan's customs authorities have implemented control measures on strategic high-tech goods and established a screening system at the end of 2005 to identify high-risk containers and goods. Moreover, to counter terrorism and ensure trade security, Taiwan began taking action under the US-led Container Security Initiative (CSI) in August 2005.

Deputy Minister Wu Ching-fa of the Council for Cultural Affairs said that Taiwan's APEC Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC) initiative and ADOC-Plus One Village One Product (ADOC + OVOP) initiative have received considerable attention and affirmation. Since the ADOC project was put forward in Bangkok in 2003, it has been commended for its good results. This year, Taiwan will propose an extension of ADOC called the "Cultural Digital Archives Sharing Program" in hopes of fostering mutual understanding of diverse cultures among APEC member economies, promoting cultural and tourism development, and helping the cultural creative industry to generate an admirable production value.

Morris Chang, when asked about the growing politicization of APEC, stated that Taiwan should continue to emphasize its proposals and accomplishments in economics, and do its best to contribute to regional economic cooperation.