Rowswell invited to Taiwan

Praising our "young and aggressive" Mayor John Rowswell, Taiwanese economic representative Tso-Chen Chen today recommended that the Sault send a trade delegation to his country.

"I think this is a very good start," Chen said of his two-day visit to Sault Ste. Marie. "I think we will have a very fruitful result."

Speaking at the Sault Ste. Marie Civic Centre, Chen (shown with executive assistant/translator Cynthia Kiang) said he was "very much impressed with this very energetic city."

Referring to a very full itinerary that kept the Taiwanese guests constantly on the move, Chen said: "We share the same work ethic. We are all very industrious. We want to promote things."

Transpolar will only be negotiated as part of broader trade discussions

As for the transpolar cargo deal sought by Mayor Rowswell, Chen indicated it would only be discussed as part of broader trade discussions between Taipei and the Sault.

"We think we can have very good co-operation in a very broad way. We will continue our talks with Mr. Mayor in regard to deeper co-operation."

Chen was unable to answer SooToday's questions about the status of Taiwanese negotiations with China and Russia, through whose airspace any transpolar flights would have to fly. He said he needed to learn more about the issue.

Rowswell would like to visit Taiwan within four months

Afterward, Rowswell told SooToday.com that he'd like a Sault delegation to visit Taiwan within about four months.

Chen told us he's interested in a number of high-tech industries in the information technology (IT) and telecommunications sectors, as well as in GP Flakeboard. In addition, Taiwan is interested in raw materials such as wood pulp, he said.

Taiwan is Canada's eight largest trading partner and the 16th largest trading nation in the world. It's strongly interested in additional trade opportunities with Canada, Chen said.

Mayor blasted by Karl Sepkowski

Mayor Rowswell drew an angry response from veteran broadcaster Karl Sepkowski when he announced this afternoon that the busy schedule he'd arranged for the Taiwan delegation allowed only five minutes of questions from reporters.

Sepkowski, news director of WSUE 101FM and founding president of the Radio Television News Directors Association of Canada, loudly advised the Mayor that he could do better than that after media representatives had listened to him and his guests for 20 minutes.

The Taiwanese representatives were visibly embarrassed, glancing downward for the duration of the confrontation.

The mayor's deadline was quietly stretched to allow additional questions and even one-on-one interviews.

The itinerary

An itinerary faxed to news outlets on Monday shows the Mayor allowed just 30 minutes for a 2 p.m. media reception at the Civic Centre and for travel to the Great Lakes Forestry Centre, where a tour was scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Here's the full itinerary for Wednesday:

*************************************************************************** 7:45 a.m. - Breakfast

9:15 a.m. - Algoma Steel Inc. - Tour the Direct Stripmill Production Complex

10:30 a.m. - Algoma Tubes - tour of facility

12:00 p.m. - Luncheon presentation by Bruce Strapp, Economic Development Corp. and Gerry Taylor Innovation Centre

2:00 p.m. - Meeting with media - Thompson Room, Civic Centre. [note: location was subsequently changed to the infrequently used Hamilton Room, noted for its posh decor] 2:30 p.m. - Great Lakes Forestry Centre - tour of facility 3:30 p.m. - GP Flakeboard - tour of facility 4:30 p.m. - To airport

5:35 p.m. - Depart - Flight #AC7794

*************************************************************************** You tell us

Should that confrontation have taken place in the presence of guests seeking international trade links with our community? Who's to blame -- the Mayor or the media? We welcome you to post your views using the News Response feature at the bottom of our editorial page. To go there now, click here.