Taiwan accuses China of trying to downgrade its status ahead of APEC summit

Taiwan has strongly protested against the discriminatory treatment by China over arrangements for its participation in the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen. It also accused Beijing of attempting to erode its standing as an equal member of the regional organisation.

According to The Taipei Times, China allegedly sent a request to Taiwan that fell short of a formal invitation. An official familiar with the matter said Beijing also ignored the use of the designation "Chinese Taipei". Interestingly, under the designation, Taiwan participates in APEC, departing from established diplomatic protocol.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the government had immediately launched a strong protest against Beijing and stressed that the ministry would defend its rights and status as a full and equal APEC member. In accordance with previous practices, preparations for Taiwan's participation have been continuing, and further information would be released when appropriate.

China declines to recognise Taiwan’s chosen envoy

Under the designation “Chinese Taipei,” Taiwan customarily takes part in APEC, with the president appointing a representative to attend the yearly leaders’ summit. Officials have insisted that Beijing adhere to the same established procedures and conventions it followed during the previous year’s summit in South Korea.

This isn’t the first time such tensions have surfaced. At the 2001 APEC summit, China sent an unsigned fax and declined to recognise Taiwan’s chosen envoy, former vice president Li Yuan-tsu, a snub that led Taipei to withdraw from the event entirely. The dynamic shifted markedly by 2014, however, when Beijing had a senior Taiwan Affairs Office official travel to Taipei to hand-deliver the invitation directly to Wang Yu-chi, then head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, under President Ma Ying-jeou’s administration.