Minister of labor makes rare trip to China for APEC
CONSTRAINTS: Although Taiwan is a member of APEC, the president cannot attend the meeting and instead appoints a special envoy to represent them
By Ben Blanchard / Reuters
Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) yesterday left for China to attend an APEC event, the first ministerial-level visit of President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration at a time when Beijing has ramped up military and political pressure against Taipei.
The APEC group is one of the few international bodies that Taiwan belongs to, and China is the host nation this year, with a leaders summit scheduled for November in Shenzhen.
The Ministry of Labor confirmed that Hung had left for China, where he would attend an APEC human resources ministerial meeting in Nanjing.
Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han waves to reporters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday before departing for China.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The ministry did not offer further details, and Hung did not speak to reporters at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before he left.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hung was previously a lawmaker for Lai’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and an outspoken advocate on issues such as human rights in Hong Kong and Tibet.
Taiwan takes part in APEC under the name “Chinese Taipei,” which it also uses for the Olympics, although China typically uses the expression “China Taipei,” despite the objections of the Taiwanese government.
Lower level Taiwanese officials have already attended other APEC events in China.
Although Taiwan is a member of APEC, its president cannot attend the meeting — due to Chinese objections and political pressure — and appoints a special envoy to go in their place.
Taiwan has yet to announce who would attend the Shenzhen summit.
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