Taiwan is participating in this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in China on the principle of interaction on an “equal basis”, President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday, November 12, in Taipei, after his government called for a written guarantee from Beijing for that to happen. Lai was speaking at the presidential office to introduce computer maker Acer's founder Stan Shih as his envoy to the summit.

Source: Reuters

“All members interact on an equal basis, and Taiwan is participating in this year's APEC meeting on that same principle,” Lai said, calling APEC the most important multilateral mechanism for trade and economic cooperation in the region. “I want to thank the many like-minded countries that, during the preparations for the APEC meeting, have consistently emphasised the importance of Taiwan's participation in all meetings,” he added, without naming any countries.

China is this year's APEC host, with the leaders' summit scheduled for November 18-19 in the southern city of Shenzhen. The APEC grouping is one of the few international bodies that include Taiwan, which China views as its own territory. Taiwan normally sends former officials or business executives as its APEC envoy to avoid political problems, and its envoys generally use the opportunity to speak to senior members of delegations from friendly countries like the US and Japan. Shih, Acer's honorary chairman, was previously Taiwan's envoy to the 2007 APEC summit in Australia — a return to the role after 19 years.

Beijing answered late on Wednesday through its foreign ministry, which said it handles the “Taiwan region's” participation at APEC “in accordance with the one-China principle and the rules and customs of relevant APEC memorandums of understanding”. “As long as these practices are followed, the Taiwan region's representatives can attend meetings as normal,” the ministry added. Speaking after Thursday's press conference, presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said Taiwan would request immediate correction if unfair treatment occurs. “No member should use unilateral political conditions to interfere with or affect the terms of participation of other members,” she said.

Source: Reuters

The appointment itself was announced on Wednesday, November 11, when Taipei first called for Beijing's written assurance that Taiwan would be able to participate on an equal footing, presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said in a statement. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung had earlier noted a protocol slight: China did not arrange for an official to personally deliver the APEC summit invitation to Taiwan, instead sending it by email.

Source: Reuters

Lai said he wanted Shih to convey several messages at the summit, including that, as the global economy faces challenges from geopolitics, energy and supply-chain restructuring, Taiwan will continue to serve as a stable and trustworthy force. “Taiwan will deepen cooperation and exchanges with key partner countries to jointly safeguard regional prosperity and stability,” he added. Taiwan's TVBS News reported that Lai also tasked Shih with highlighting the island's critical position in semiconductor and artificial-intelligence supply chains.

Source: TVBS News

The summit carries weight far beyond Taiwan's seat. US President Donald Trump is expected to hold his third meeting of the year with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen. Taiwanese envoys have on occasion previously interacted with Xi at other APEC summits, though normally that does not go beyond a handshake or a wave, Reuters reported.

Relations between Taipei and Beijing are extremely tense. China refuses to talk to Lai, calling him a “separatist”, and its military operates around the island on a daily basis; Lai rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims over Taiwan. What happens next turns on the summit itself, November 18-19: whether Beijing provides the written guarantee Taipei has asked for, and how Taiwan's delegation is treated on the ground in Shenzhen, will be read across the region as a measure of cross-strait tensions heading into the Trump-Xi meeting.

Source: Reuters