Shenzhen:Taipei Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung has called on China to adhere to established practices when formally inviting Taiwan to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Lin emphasized Taiwan's commitment to participating in the summit, criticizing China's "differential treatment" towards Taiwan.
According to Focus Taiwan, a report by the Liberty Times indicated that China, as the host of the 2026 APEC summit, sent a letter instead of a formal invitation to Taiwan for the upcoming summit in Shenzhen on November 18-19. The letter reportedly did not use Taiwan’s official APEC designation "Chinese Taipei" and was seen as a downgrade of Taiwan's status.
Lin reaffirmed Taiwan's status as a full APEC member and criticized China's repeated differential treatment at various APEC meetings hosted by China this year. He pointed out that China sent the invitation email instead of having an official deliver it personally, although the email did use the "Chinese Taipei" designation.
Lin urged China to follow established practices for hosting APEC summits, stating that Taiwan will protest any actions that breach these norms but will not relinquish its right to participate. APEC, established in 1989, is a forum of 21 Pacific Rim economies promoting free trade. Both Taiwan and China are full members.
China has previously hosted APEC in 2001 and 2014. In 2001, China rejected Taiwan's choice of special envoy and only sent a fax, leading to Taiwan's boycott of the event. In 2014, relations were warmer, and China sent an official to personally deliver the invitation to Taiwan.
Source Focus Taiwan
