Reuters-Taiwan facing Chinese pressure to stress importance of peace at APEC summit
November 10, 2023 3 min 445 words
在面对中国的压力下，台湾总统蔡英文表示，将在下周的APEC峰会上强调地区和平的重要性。这不仅仅是一场国际经济合作的盛会，也是台湾和中国唯一共同参与的国际组织之一。台湾，以“中华台北”的名义参与，面临来自北京的军事压力，包括过去一年半进行的两轮大规模军演。 蔡英文强调，台湾致力于促进地区和平繁荣，呼吁各方共同努力，降低地区冲突，共同创造和平稳定的环境，推动地区经济发展。她强调台湾是国际社会可靠、安全、值得信赖的伙伴。 APEC一直是中国和台湾少数几个可以进行对话的平台之一，尽管仅限于寒暄。在蔡英文首次当选总统后，中国切断了与台湾的正式对话机制，认为她是分裂主义者。台湾强调只有台湾人民能够决定该岛的未来，坚决反对中国的主权主张。台积电（TSMC）创始人张忠谋表示，相信没有APEC成员会反对和平、繁荣和发展。 这次峰会对于中台关系至关重要，特别是因为中国尚未正式确认习近平主席是否出席。张忠谋在去年的APEC峰会上与习近平短暂交流，这是一次罕见的高层互动。总体而言，这次APEC峰会将是一场政治和经济舞台上的紧张角力，台湾必须巧妙平衡维护其利益并倡导地区和平的立场。
Taiwan will stress the importance of peace in the region at next week's APEC summit, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Friday, one of the few international bodies both Taiwan and China are members of and where their officials meet.
The 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will meet in San Francisco for the 30th APEC summit, the first hosted by the United States since 2011.
Chinese-claimed and democratically ruled Taiwan, which takes part in APEC as "Chinese Taipei" and does not send its president to summits, has faced increased military pressure from Beijing including two rounds of major war games over the past year and a half.
Tsai told reporters at the presidential office that the first message she wanted her representative to APEC, chip giant TSMC (2330.TW), founder Morris Chang, to send at the summit was that Taiwan was dedicated to promoting regional peace and prosperity.
"At a time when the world is facing various challenges, we must work together to reduce conflicts in the region and jointly create a peaceful and stable environment for regional economic development," she said.
"Taiwan is a reliable, safe, and trustworthy partner in the international community," Tsai added.
Chang, speaking after Tsai, said he believed no APEC member would oppose peace, prosperity and development.
Neither the president nor Chang, representing Tsai for the sixth time at an APEC summit, took questions.
APEC has traditionally been one the few forums where China and Taiwan talk, even if just in passing for pleasantries.
China has not formally confirmed President Xi Jinping's attendance at this year's summit.
Chang, 92, had a brief chat with Xi at last year's APEC summit in Bangkok, a rare high-level interaction.
China cut off a formal talks mechanism with Taiwan after Tsai first won office in 2016, believing her to be a separatist. Tsai says only Taiwan's people can decide the island's future and strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims.
While Chang is now retired from TSMC, he remains influential as the elder statesman of Taiwan's chip industry.