Taipei, Nov. 9 (CNA) Taiwan will focus on trade and the economy while avoiding bringing up thorny diplomatic issues with China and Japan at this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit, Taiwan's representative to the meeting said Tuesday.
Former Vice President Lien Chan, named by President Ma Ying-jeou as Taiwan's envoy to the summit for the third straight year, said he was not authorized to speak on issues related to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, the disputed Tiaoyutai Islands in the East China Sea or the removal of more than 1,000 Chinese missiles directed at Taiwan.
Lien said he would definitely meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the two-day leaders' meeting, to be held in Yokohama, Japan, from Nov. 13-14, and would also hold other bilateral meetings on the forum's sidelines.
In a pre-summit press conference Tuesday, Lien was asked whether he planned to talk to Hu about non-economic issues, such as the removal of the missiles, jailed 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo and the Tiaoyutais, in their meeting.
"With the hectic schedule (of the summit) , I really don't think the leaders will have enough time to discuss non-economic issues, " he said.
On the missile issue, Lien said the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) had reached five points of consensus with the Communist Party of China in 2005 to end hostilities and to advance a possible peace agreement as well as confidence-building measures, but "these things just don't take place overnight."
On Liu Xiaobo, Lien said he was neither familiar with Liu nor had enough understanding about him to make any comment.
The lingering diplomatic row between Japan and China over the Tiaoyutais are expected to focus considerable attention on how leaders of the two countries interact in Yokohama, but Taiwan will likely have little to say on the issue.
Lien said he was not authorized by the president to speak about the Tiaoyutais at the APEC forum, but reiterated Taiwan's position that it has sovereignty over the islands and that those involved in the dispute should resolve it peacefully.
The APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim economies that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls