Taiwan to donate US$700,000 to APEC

MOFA signed MOU in Papua New Guinea Tuesday

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) signed an agreement with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum Tuesday to donate US$700,000 (NT$21.6 million) to the organization’s foundation, according to a report in the Apple Daily.

Taiwan will be represented at the November 17-18 APEC summit in the Papua New Guinean capital of Port Moresby by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. founder Morris Chang (張忠謀).

MOFA officials said Tuesday the ministry had signed a memorandum of understanding with Alan Bollard, the Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, promising Taiwan’s government would donate the sum, while the APEC official had praised the island for its role, the Apple Daily reported.

The signing took place at APEC’s Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting in Port Moresby, where MOFA officials said they had held bilateral meetings with representatives of four countries, though they were not at liberty to say which ones, according to the Apple Daily.

The Taiwanese officials emphasized that interaction with the United States was close and frequent, while exchanging opinions with China also occurred.