Key facts
- Taiwan named Acer founder Stan Shih as its envoy to the APEC leaders' summit in Shenzhen.
- Lai's spokesperson Karen Kuo said Taiwan has taken part in all APEC meetings on an equal basis.
- Kuo said Taiwan wants a written guarantee of equal, dignified and secure participation in all meetings.
- China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhang Han said Chinese Taipei may attend if APEC practices are followed.
- Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said China sent the summit invitation by email, not in person.
- Shih was Taiwan's envoy to the 2007 APEC summit in Australia.
Taiwan's government said on November 11 that Stan Shih, founder of computer maker Acer, would represent it at the APEC leaders' summit in Shenzhen and called on Beijing to give written assurance that the delegation could take part on an equal footing.
Announcing the appointment, Lai Ching-te's spokesperson Karen Kuo said Taiwan has continued to participate in all APEC meetings on an equal basis. "This is standard APEC practice and has nothing to do with the so-called 'one-China principle'," Kuo said, referring to Beijing's position that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one country. Kuo said APEC economies have repeatedly reached consensus on equal participation by all members, and that Taiwan hopes China will fulfill its responsibilities as host and provide a written guarantee covering equality, dignity and security.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office said earlier on November 11 that the government handles Taiwan's APEC participation "in accordance with the one-China principle and the provisions and practices of the APEC memorandum of understanding". Spokesperson Zhang Han said that "as long as these practices are followed, Chinese Taipei may attend meetings", using the name Taiwan takes part under. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
APEC is one of the few international bodies that include Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. China is this year's host, with the leaders' summit scheduled for next week in Shenzhen. Beijing refuses to talk to Lai, calling him a "separatist", and its military operates around the island daily, Reuters reported.