The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate.
“The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s APEC participation.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Reuters in a statement on Tuesday when asked about Taiwan’s participation that Beijing would fulfill its obligations as host in November next year, but with a specific condition.
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“We would like to emphasize that the key to Chinese Taipei’s participation in APEC activities lies in compliance with the ‘one China’ principle and the relevant APEC memorandum of understanding, rather than any safety issues,” it said.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday protested Beijing’s insistence on accepting the “one China principle” as a prerequisite for Taiwan’s APEC participation, saying that it is a serious violation of the organization’s norms and practices.
The State Department spokesperson said in an e-mail that “APEC members remain committed to all members participating on an equal footing in all APEC events, including the Economic Leaders’ Week, in accordance with the Guidelines for Hosting APEC Meetings and relevant APEC conventions.”
Speaking on the sidelines of a legislative session Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday said that China last year provided written assurances that it would support Taiwan’s equal participation in next year’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen, China, and protect the safety of all participants.
China’s latest comments raised an “extra condition” for Taiwan’s participation in the APEC meeting, contravening Beijing’s written promises, Lin said.
“We will safeguard our right to participate and will work with like-minded countries to launch countermeasures,” he said, without elaborating.
Lin said that China raised the so-called “one China” principle as an “additional condition.”
Beijing’s written assurances were witnessed by other APEC members at last year’s Lima meeting, but China has apparently broken its vow, he said.
APEC’s decisionmaking process is based on consensus, meaning all members must agree on a decision before it is adopted, he said.
No decision under the APEC mechanism can be made without Taiwan’s approval, and the country will strongly safeguard its rights to participate, he added.
Asked if Taiwan might choose not to attend next year’s meeting, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠), who fielded questions during the same legislative session, said it was too early to tell.
Beijing’s “one China” principle asserts that there is only one legitimate state that represents China and Taiwan is part of it, a claim Taipei rejects.
Taiwan, which joined APEC in 1991 under the name “Chinese Taipei,” is a full member of the forum, but its president, unlike the leaders of other members, cannot attend due to Chinese objections and political pressure. Taiwan instead sends a special envoy.
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