The National Development Council (NDC) said Saturday that its meeting earlier in the week with former United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not touch on any issues related to the investment of Taiwan funds in an overseas company, as claimed by some local media.
Instead, the discussions were focused on global economic conditions, NDC chief Kung Ming-hsin (???) said, in a statement issued amid speculation in the media that Pompeo was aiming to attract investments of Taiwan government funds in Anarock Global Partners, a credit fund company at which he is a senior partner.
In the statement, the NDC said it welcomes cooperation between foreign enterprises and Taiwan to create opportunities for investment in the country and to strengthen the domestic economy. Contact between the NDC and foreign companies is normal, the statement said.
UDN report
According to a United Daily News report published Friday, one of the aims behind Pompeo’s four-day visit to Taiwan was to lobby for investments of the country’s pension and labor funds and its National Development Fund in Anarock.
The report said that last July, Pompeo and Anarock Chief Investment Officer Gino Ramadi met with Taiwan’s representative to the U.S. Hsiao Bi-khim (???) to discuss the possible investment of Taiwan government-managed funds in Anarock.
After the meeting, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) asked government agencies such as the NDC, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Civil Service, the central bank, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs to submit their assessments of possible cooperation with foreign fund companies, the UND report said.
Foreign ministry responds
On Saturday, MOFA issued a statement, denying the report and saying it was an affront to Pompeo’s reputation.
MOFA deputy spokesperson Tsuei Ching-lin (???) told CNA that the ministry does not handle investment issues but it does forward information on potential investment opportunities to the relevant authorities for assessment.
The reports about a business angle to Pompeo’s visit were unfounded and were aimed at discrediting the Taiwan government and its friends, like Pompeo, Tsuei said.
In the NDC’s statement, however, it said that it did receive a message from MOFA last July or August, and it subsequently did an assessment on the investment opportunities in the U.S. but no decisions had been reached.
The NDC’s meeting on Thursday with Pompeo had nothing to do with possible investments in Anarock, the council said, adding that the story about a business angle to his visit was pure speculation.
According to the official itinerary of Pompeo’s March 2-5 visit, he was scheduled to meet with the representatives of several Taiwanese enterprises, including I-Mei Foods Co., China Steel Corp., Powerchip Semiconductor Corp., and Formosa International Hotels Corp.
He also held a virtual meeting with Mark Liu (???), chairman of contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), who thanked Pompeo for supporting TSMC’s US$12 billion investment in a wafer fab in the state of Arizona during his tenure as U.S. secretary of state.
Meanwhile, the government-affiliated Prospect Foundation also issued a statement Saturday about Pompeo’s visit, saying it was not unusual to pay high-profile people to give speeches.
The foundation said it had signed an agreement with an American political public relations agency to pay Pompeo for the speech he gave in Taipei on Friday, when he said the U.S. government should immediately recognize Taiwan as a “free and sovereign country.”
The statement was issued after online new site CNEWS reported that Pompeo was paid US$150,000 for Friday’s speech, under the terms of an agreement signed by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. and an American public relations agency — Premiere Speakers Bureau.
Prospect Foundation President Lai I-chung (???) said he could not give any details of the agreement, since it included a non-disclosure clause.
The agreement was signed by the foundation – not Taiwan’s representative office in the U.S., he said, adding that the foundation had made similar arrangements previously with other high-profile speakers, including former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who gave a speech in Taiwan in 2017.
Pompeo wrapped up his four-day visit to Taiwan Saturday afternoon and departed with his delegation for Singapore.
On Thursday, he was decorated with the Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon by President Tsai Ing-wen (???), who said he was a close friend of Taiwan’s.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel