Taiwan is to launch "countermeasures" against China after Beijing said Taiwan's participation in next year's APEC events should comply with the "one China" principle, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today.
China is to host the next year's APEC meeting in Shenzhen.
Photo: Taipei Times
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Reuters in a statement yesterday when asked about Taiwan's participation that Beijing would fulfill its obligations as the host, but with a specific condition.
"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," the ministry said.
Beijing's "one China" principle asserts that Taiwan is part of China, and that there is only one legitimate and sovereign state representing the whole of China, a claim repeatedly rejected by Taiwan.
Speaking on the sidelines of a legislative session today, Lin said China last year provided written assurances that it would support Taiwan's equal participation in next year's APEC Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen and protect the safety of all participants.
However, China's latest comments had raised an "extra condition" for Taiwan's participation, apparently violating Beijing's written promises, he said.
"We will safeguard our right to participate and will work with like-minded countries to launch countermeasures," Lin said, without elaborating.
During the legislative session, 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, but it has apparently broken its vow, he said.
He also said APEC's decisionmaking process is based on consensus, meaning all members must agree on a decision before it is adopted.
No decision under the APEC mechanism can be made without Taiwan's approval, he said, adding that the country would strongly safeguard its rights to participate.
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.
A US Department of State spokesperson said that the US would "continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China."
"APEC members accepted, by consensus, China's offer to host APEC 2026 during the 2024 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Peru," the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mail.
"APEC members remain committed to all members participating on an equal footing in all APEC events, including Leaders' Week, in accordance with the Guidelines for Hosting APEC Meetings and relevant APEC conventions," the spokesperson said.
"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," they added.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS