SOONG AS TAIWAN APEC ENVOY, IN HOPE OF MEETING XI |宋楚瑜出席APEC 與習互動外界關注

This year's APEC summit will be held in Peru in November. People First Party Chairman, James Soong, is to represent President Tsai Ing-wen at APEC. Soong emphasized that he is able to separate personal opinions from professional work, and fully represents Tsai, who has different views on cross-strait relations from him. On October 5, the Presidential Office said that People First Party Chairman James Soong will serve as Taiwan's envoy to the APEC summit in Peru in November. Soong said he feels a heavy responsibility to be a representative. ==JAMES SOONG, People First Party Chairman== I accept President Tsai's appointment with trepidation. China's Taiwan Affairs Office said that Taiwan's attendance at the APEC summit should be in line with its Memorandum of Understanding. They also said that Soong has no experience in economic and trade affairs, so the APEC organizer may refuse his attendance. If this happens, it has nothing to do with China. ==JAMES SOONG, People First Party Chairman== I want to say to those who have different opinions on these matters, I, James Soong, always tackle things without being either too haughty or too humble. It is widely believed that if Taiwan continues to refuse acknowledging the 1992 Consensus, there will be no interaction between China' president Xi Jinping and Soong during the APEC summit. However, Soong emphasized that there will still be an opportunity to meet with Xi. ==JAMES SOONG, People First Party Chairman== The time has yet to come. There is no need to reveal everything now. The rice will not be cooked if the pot lid is lifted so soon. If China's president refuses to meet with James Soong, will there still be a vision of peaceful development on both sides of the Strait? Soong, who proposed the idea of "Two shores, one China'', said he understands his role in the international arena. He is not a political rookie. He is able to represent Tsai, even though his ideas on cross-strait relations are different from hers. TRANSLATED BY：ARIEL HSIEH APEC領袖峰會下個月將在秘魯登場，總統府5號宣布，由親民黨主席宋楚瑜，擔任特使出席會議，宋楚瑜上午親自出面說明，強調內心感覺責任重大。 ==親民黨主席 宋楚瑜== 我以戒慎恐懼的心情 來接受蔡總統的委派 不過，這項任命案，中國大陸國台辦堅持台灣出席APEC代表，應該符合諒解備忘錄規定的立場，還強調按過去慣例，曾代表台方的連戰和蕭萬長都具有經貿事務經歷，宋卻沒有。若宋被大會拒絕，就不能怪罪是中方抵制。宋楚瑜沒有正面回應。 ==親民黨主席 宋楚瑜== 我特別奉勸 對這些事情 可能有不同見解的鄉親 那就是 宋楚瑜一向以不亢不卑的 基本的精神 處理很多的事情 外界好奇，如果台灣不承認九二共識，會議期間就不會和中國國家主席習近平，有任何互動？宋楚瑜強調，在那裡會有機會跟習近平見面，至於何種方式，外界不要多做揣測。 ==親民黨主席 宋楚瑜== 時間沒到 不要老是去揭開那個鍋蓋 這個鍋蓋揭的太早 那個飯就不會煮熟了 您說大陸上 連宋楚瑜都不能接受的話 兩岸還有和平發展的願景嗎 對於過去宋楚瑜在兩岸議題曾提出兩岸一中的看法，甚至與總統蔡英文兩岸理念有差距，宋楚瑜表示，他不是菜鳥，對個人想法與政府給的使命他有基本了解，在國際場合對於兩岸問題他曉得應該有的分寸。 記者 陳佳鑫 彭耀祖 台北報導