Taiwan's foreign minister says China has placed many conditions on Taiwan's participation in next year's APEC forum, which will be held in China. Beijing recently gave a written guarantee of Taiwanese delegates' safety and equal participation in the forum.
00:00Just days after this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in South Korea wrapped up, attention has shifted to next year's summit, where Taiwan's participation is now in question.
00:12As an APEC member economy, Taiwan has the right to attend the regional forum every year, and does.
00:18But in 2026, the summit will be held in Shenzhen, China. And this week, China said that to be able to participate, Taiwan will have to comply with Beijing's One China Principle, which states that Taiwan is a part of China, something Taiwan's government rejects.
00:34Taiwan's Foreign Minister, Lin Jialong, had this to say about the condition.
00:48Taiwan previously said China had guaranteed in writing that its 2026 delegation members would be able to participate equally and would be kept safe.
01:11That says Beijing steps up efforts to intimidate Taiwan and isolate it diplomatically, and has declared promoting Taiwanese independence a serious crime.
01:20Now, it appears that whatever agreement may have been made may be off the table.
01:25In a statement, a U.S. State Department spokesperson criticized China's new requirement, saying it, quote,
01:31insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies, including Taiwan, referred to as Chinese Taipei and APEC, consistent with APEC's guidelines and rules.
01:43This all comes as China says it discussed its One China Principle in meetings with several countries on Tuesday, including officials from Pacific Island nations and Russia, which China said reaffirmed their commitment to the principle.
01:55It also said Russia supported UN Resolution 2758, which China interprets as supporting its claims to Taiwan, though the resolution does not in fact address Taiwan's status.
02:06In response, Taipei slammed both China and Russia.
02:10China also said it hoped Estonia would adhere to the One China Principle after a meeting with its foreign minister, amid talks to allow Taiwan to set up a representative office in the EU member state.
02:35These countries, one expert said, are ones that will more easily accept the principle.
03:05But this isn't something new. Beijing has been pushing its One China Principle for many years.
03:12Its pressure and exclusion, something Taiwan has to deal with every day.
03:16But this time, the Chinese government is laying down a marker a year in advance, forcing a confrontation over the issue.
03:23And it's not clear what compromise, if any, can be arrived at between now and the next APEC forum.
03:29Hank Xu and Cadence Quaranta for Taiwan Plus.
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