The Taiwanese representative had a lively exchange with U.S. President Joe Biden and invited him to visit the island.
Taiwan’s envoy to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) said on Nov. 16 that he didn’t shake hands with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping at this year’s summit in Peru but did wave to him, underscoring the ongoing tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
The special envoy, Lin Hsin-i, said at a press conference in Lima that while Taiwan’s representatives had engaged in talks with many APEC members, the interaction with Xi was limited to a greeting gesture across the room where leaders were gathered.
“There’s not much to say about a waving hand gesture,” Lin
told reporters when asked for more specifics about his interactions with Xi.
APEC is one of the few intergovernmental events that has representatives from both Taiwan and China, as the CCP has tried to
isolate the self-ruled island that it claims as its own.
That was particularly evident during this year’s APEC meeting. According to Taiwan’s National Security Bureau memo reviewed by The Epoch Times, the Taiwanese government initially planned to send its former vice president, Chen Chien-jen, as its delegate. However, due to pressure from the CCP, Chen’s invitation was boycotted, forcing Taipei to find a last-minute substitute in order to ensure Taiwan’s participation in the summit.
Like the Olympics and other global events, Taiwan takes part in the APEC summit under the name of “
Chinese Taipei,” and can only appoint a special envoy, instead of its
president, to join the summit.
From 2018 to 2023, during Tsai Ing-wen’s presidency, Taiwan
selected Morris Chang, the founder of chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, as its special envoy to the APEC summit.
At the last summit in San Francisco, then-92-year-old Chang also had
no interaction with Xi.
However, an encounter occurred at the 2022 summit in Bangkok, where Chang had a “happy” and “polite” exchange with the CCP leader, as he
described at a press conference at the time. During their brief exchange, Xi asked about Chang’s health, while Chang congratulated him on the success of the CCP’s 20th Congress, a twice-in-a-decade event that saw Xi secure a record-breaking third term. Chang
said that their conversation did not touch on Taiwan.
Taiwan Invites Biden to Visit
This year, Lin had a conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the APEC summit, which he characterized as a lively exchange.
“I also look forward to him having the opportunity to visit Taiwan at an appropriate time in the future,” Lin said.
To this, Lin said Biden told him he will.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the conversation.
Biden’s term ends on
Jan. 20 when his predecessor, former President Donald Trump—who defeated his Democratic rival, Vice-President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election—once again takes office.
In Lima, Lin,
chairman of the government-backed investment fund Taiwania Capital and a senior adviser to the Taiwanese president, also had an exchange with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Nov. 15.
Blinken said in a
statement after the meeting that they discussed the “growing economic relationship” between Washington and Taipei. The two sides also spoke about the “enduring shared commitment to foster an open, dynamic, and peaceful Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have risen in recent years, with the CCP continually ramping up
pressure on the island with provocative military drills, sparking fears of a potential invasion that some U.S. officials said could
cripple the global economy.
In October, the Chinese military launched another large-scale
military exercise encircling Taiwan. Beijing said the war game, involving its army, navy, air force, and rocket forces, was designed to send a strong warning against what it called “separatist action” by the independent voices in Taiwan, drawing condemnation from democratic countries including the
United States.
The U.S., like most countries, has no formal ties with Taipei, but maintains robust relations with the island. There is also a federal law that obliges the U.S. government to provide Taipei with the means to defend itself.
Taiwan to Attend APEC 2026 in China
Beijing’s bid to host the summit in 2026, which Xi
announced on Nov. 16, has raised concerns for the island nation.
Hsu Szu-Chien, Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council, said at the joint press conference with Lin that there were “all kinds of misgivings and concerns” among APEC members about Beijing hosting the forum.
According to Hsu, one issue of concern was new
legal guidelines issued by China that threatened what Beijing called “diehard” supporters of Taiwan’s self-rule with the
death penalty.
While Chinese courts have no jurisdiction on the island, Hsu said that Taiwan had expressed concerns that these guidelines would be wielded against not only its officials in China, but also against those from other APEC nations.
“Other APEC members have similar concerns, so the fact that a consensus was reached [on China hosting the forum] means Beijing has made promises in response to all members’ relevant concerns,” Hsu said.
After the CCP revised a
host of laws and regulations in the name of security, the Taiwanese government has repeatedly told its 23 million people to
reconsider any planned visits to China due to the heightened risk of wrongful detention.
In June, following the release of new Chinese guidelines, Taiwan further
raised its warning level and urged its citizens to avoid “unnecessary travel” to China, including Hong Kong and Macao. Officials stressed that this new directive represents “a serious threat to the personal safety of Taiwanese citizens.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
