Taiwan's APEC envoy chatted with Biden at summit, but not Xi
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[November 18, 2023]
By Michael Martina and Ben Blanchard
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Taiwan's APEC envoy Morris Chang said on Friday
that he had informal interactions with U.S. President Joe Biden and
discussions with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a summit in San
Francisco, but none with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Chinese-claimed Taiwan, which takes part in the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum 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 during the past year and a half.
Chang, the 92-year-old founder of chip giant TSMC, told reporters he had
also talked with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on the sidelines of
the U.S.-hosted event, a replay of their meeting last year in Thailand,
where Chang also met Xi.
Chang said he didn't have any exchanges with Xi this year. Given that
both Taiwan and China are members, APEC is one of the few global forums
where officials from the two sides can interact, even if just to
exchange pleasantries.
"My interactions with President Biden (were) of a social, in fact I
might say, humorous nature," Chang said.
"With Secretary Blinken, I mainly conveyed our strong desire for
regional peace and prosperity, and also to some extent our very strong
desire for increasing the supply resiliency," he said.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Nov/18/images/ads/current/graue_sda_042021.png)
Chang said his conversations with more than 10 APEC leaders, including
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, focused on peace and economic
development, supply chains and semiconductors.
Chang is retired from TSMC, although he remains influential as the elder
statesman of Taiwan's important semiconductor industry.
The United States, like most countries, has no formal ties with Taiwan,
but is its most important international backer and arms provider.
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![](../images/111823PIX/news_t9.jpg)
Taiwan's APEC envoy Morris Chang attends a press conference during
the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit in San
Francisco, California, U.S. November 17, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png)
Tensions over Taiwan featured in Biden's meeting with Xi earlier in
the week, when the Chinese leader relayed conditions under which
Beijing would use military force toward the island.
The White House has not elaborated on those conditions, but Biden
asked Xi to respect Taiwan's presidential election process next
year, according to a U.S. official.
Chang called the Biden-Xi talks a "good meeting."
"It was good news that they resumed the military communications, and
I think that it should help to reduce the tension between the United
States and China. And it should increase the stability of (the)
Taiwan Strait," he said.
China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao expressed concern in San
Francisco over U.S. curbs on semiconductor exports to China,
implemented by Washington to prevent advanced American technology
from being used to strengthen the Chinese military. U.S. officials
have sought to patch possible loopholes in the restrictions to
prevent Beijing from circumventing them.
Taiwan's envoy Chang said he supported those U.S. export controls on
China.
"How effective they are is a different question."
(Reporting by Michael Martina in San Francisco and Ben Blanchard in
Taipei; Editing by Chris Reese, Kim Coghill and Tom Hogue)
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