Taipei, Nov. 16 (CNA) Taiwan does not need to consult China on the island's participation in international activities, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday, in response to a comment on the issue by Chinese President Hu Jintao last week.
Hu said Nov. 13 that Taiwan and China can handle such matters through "communication and coordination," according to Lien Chan, Taiwan's representative to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit who held talks with Hu on the sidelines of the forum in Yokohama, Japan.
"The Taiwan government's position remains unchanged -- the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign country, " said Wu Rong-chuan, vice chairman of the MOFA's Non-governmental Organization (NGO) Affairs Committee, at a regular press briefing.
"We will not consult with any country prior to Taiwan's participation in NGO activities, " he added.
Wu's position was in line with that of the Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's top China policy-making body, which said earlier this year that Taiwan will not negotiate with China on participation in international activities.
President Ma Ying-jeou has not made an official response to Hu's comment, but said in an interview with the Central News Agency Sunday that "it would be difficult to improve cross-strait relations" if Taiwan's NGOs keep encountering obstruction by China at international events.
His remarks came after a Chinese delegation attempted to downgrade the status of the Taiwan delegation at an international film festival in Tokyo last month.
Ma said the achievements of the ECFA (Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement), a landmark pact to liberalize cross-Taiwan Strait trade in goods and services, would "evaporate" if one or two other such incidents occur. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc