Taiwan’s foreign ministry strongly protested what it called discriminatory handling of its invitation to the APEC leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen on November 18-19, saying the letter was not a formal invitation and omitted its official name. Beijing has said participation requires accepting the one-China principle; its direct response to this protest was not confirmed.
The Taipei Times reported on November 2 that the ministry lodged a strong protest the previous day over China’s ‘discriminatory’ handling. Taipei argues it undermines Taiwan’s status and rights as a full and equal APEC member. The ministry said preparations to attend continue under past practice and that it will update the public in due course.
광고 문의 · 300×250What Taipei objects to
According to an anonymous Taiwanese official, China sent a letter rather than a formal invitation, and it did not use ‘Chinese Taipei’, Taiwan’s official APEC name. The official said this breaks established protocol and downgrades Taiwan. That is the Taiwanese official’s account; the letter itself has not been published.
The leaders’ meeting will be held in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, and Taiwan has traditionally sent a representative appointed by the president. This year’s representative has been chosen and communicated to Beijing, and the Presidential Office will announce the name. The government is assessing whether it can accept the arrangements.
The official said China has shown no goodwill since the DPP took power and that failing to protest could let Beijing repeat the approach. The official also cautioned that earlier APEC ministerial meetings following convention do not mean Beijing will refrain from applying pressure.
Precedents and Beijing’s position
The Taipei Times recalled precedents. In 2001, under Chen Shui-bian, Beijing sent an unsigned fax and rejected Taiwan’s envoy, and Taiwan boycotted the summit. In 2014, under Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan Affairs Office deputy director Gong Qinggai personally handed the invitation to Mainland Affairs Council minister Wang Yu-chi in Taipei.
Beijing’s position was not directly quoted in this report. However, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a briefing last November that Taiwan’s participation in the Shenzhen meeting as a regional economy depends on accepting the one-China principle and following relevant APEC memoranda and practices, which she called the political prerequisite for Chinese Taipei’s involvement. Asked about Taipei’s complaint of numerous conditions, she said China’s stance is clear and firm.
The gap in perception is clear: Taipei stresses equal rights as an APEC member economy, while Beijing, as host, stresses conditions based on the one-China principle. China’s official explanation of the letter and whether Taiwan’s delegation will finally attend were not confirmed at the time of writing.
