Taipei - A Taiwan envoy Monday said he would exchange views with Chinese President Hu Jintao on a trade pact the island wants to sign with the mainland, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore. "I will meet with General Secretary Hu Jintao from the mainland and exchange views with him on relevant issues, including the progress of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement talks," Lien Chan said in a news conference in Taipei.
Taiwan has been holding informal talks with China over the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) - a partial free-trade agreement which would permit the free flow of various industrial products, services and capital between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
But such talks have been strongly opposed by the pro-independence camp in Taiwan, which believes it would lead to cross-strait political integration one day.
Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still regards Taiwan as a part of the mainland and warns the island against officially declaring independence, saying it would lead to war.
Lien, a former vice president and currently honorary chairman of the ruling Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, was named by President Ma Ying-jeou as his proxy for the November 14-15 informal leaders' summit in Singapore.
Taiwan has been unable to send any of its presidents to the APEC summit since it was held in the US in 1993 due to the opposition of China, which regards the island as a Chinese province not entitled to attend international events that require statehood.
China also used to oppose Taiwan sending any high-profile politician to the summit, but made an exception last year after China-friendly Ma became president and appointed Lien to represent him at the 2008 summit in Peru. It again raised no complaints this year against Lien's appointment as Ma's proxy due to gradually warming cross-strait ties.
Lien, who will leave for Singapore on Thursday, said he would exchange views with leaders from other countries, including US President Barack Obama during the summit. When asked if Ma had told him to send any message to either Obama or Hu, Lien merely said: "My duty is to attend the meeting."
