The forum is slated to be held Nov. 12 14 in Singapore with the theme of sustaining growth and connecting the region, according to the office.

In keeping with past practice, the Presidential Office announced the appointment only after it had formally notified Singapore of the selection.

This will be the second consecutive year that Lien will represent Ma at the summit. He attended last year's summit in Peru, making him the highest-ranking former official from Taiwan to attend.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials have given several briefings to Lien to make sure he is fully informed and abreast of the latest APEC developments and is working to arrange talks between Lien and leaders from other APEC member economies during the summit.

This year, Lien will focus on his discussions on issues such as climate change and Taiwan's response to the global financial crisis in the hope of raising awareness in the international community of Taiwan's bid to participate in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama are scheduled to deliver speeches at this year's summit.

Taiwan gained full APEC membership in 1991, making it one of the few major international organizations the country has been allowed to join. It is an important platform for Taiwan's engagement in economic and trade cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.