CHINA-APEC-SUMMIT
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung called on China to abide by the existing invitation practices for APEC summits, emphasizing that Taiwan will insist on participating on an equal footing as a full member.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung on Nov. 2 urged China to follow established practices and treat Taiwan fairly while hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings. He stressed that Taiwan is a full APEC member and will stand by its right to participate on an equal footing, rather than surrender its place at the summit because of arrangements made by China.

According to a Nov. 2 report by Central News Agency (Focus Taiwan), Lin told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan enjoys the same status as other APEC member economies and has an equal right to participate in the forum. He criticized China for repeatedly treating Taiwan differently during its hosting of APEC-related meetings this year and urged Beijing to follow the practices used by previous summit hosts.

The report said Taiwan media, citing government sources, reported that China recently notified Taiwan in writing of its attendance at the upcoming APEC summit, rather than formally arranging for an official to deliver the invitation as had been customary. Lin said China had not arranged for an official to deliver the invitation in person, instead handling it by email, which differed from past practice. He added that the email still used Taiwan’s official APEC name, “Chinese Taipei.”

Lin stressed that Taiwan would immediately lodge a protest if China made any arrangement that violated established practices, but would not give up its right to participate in APEC as a result.

The 2026 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 18 and 19. Established in 1989, APEC currently has 21 member economies. Taiwan and China are both full members, and the forum’s main goals include promoting trade, investment and economic cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region.

China previously hosted APEC summits in 2001 and 2014. In 2001, Beijing and Taiwan became embroiled in a dispute over arrangements for Taiwan’s representative, ultimately prompting Taiwan to boycott that year’s summit. In 2014, a Chinese official personally delivered the invitation to Taiwan’s representative.

As this year’s summit approaches, Taiwan’s participation arrangements and cross-strait diplomatic rivalry are expected to remain under international scrutiny.