What Taipei says happened
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said China sent the invitation for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting by email, a move Taipei says falls short of the treatment it expects as a full APEC member economy.
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung raised the issue directly with China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, in a protest conveyed through diplomatic channels, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Taipei said the email format was inappropriate for an invitation to a leaders’ meeting and risked implying a lesser status.
Taiwan participates in APEC as “Chinese Taipei,” a designation agreed in 1991 that allows it to take part alongside China and Hong Kong, China, despite Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of China. Taipei says that membership entitles it to be treated on an equal footing with other member economies.
A long-running protocol dispute
The dispute is not new. Taiwan and China have clashed before over the form and handling of APEC invitations and representation. Taipei points to past practice in which invitations were handled through formal channels rather than by simple email.
Officials in Taipei said the current case echoes earlier disagreements, including disputes over protocol in 2001 and 2014, when the handling of Taiwan’s participation became a point of contention. The ministry said the email invitation in 2026 revived those concerns.
Taiwan’s representative to APEC is typically a senior envoy appointed by the president, rather than the president personally, under an arrangement that has allowed Taipei to participate without resolving the underlying sovereignty dispute. The identity of Taiwan’s representative for the Shenzhen meeting has been a focus of attention in Taipei.
What Beijing says
China has not publicly responded in detail to Taipei’s latest protest. Beijing generally maintains that Taiwan’s participation in APEC must be conducted in accordance with the one-China principle and the understandings reached when Chinese Taipei joined the forum.
Chinese officials have in the past described Taiwan’s APEC participation as an arrangement for a regional economy, not as recognition of statehood. Beijing also insists that cross-strait issues should be handled in line with its position that Taiwan is part of China.
The APEC host economy, China, is responsible for issuing invitations and organising the leaders’ meeting, which is scheduled for November 18-19, 2026, in Shenzhen.
Why the format matters to Taipei
For Taiwan, the format of an invitation is not a technical detail. Officials argue that how an invitation is delivered signals how a member economy is regarded within the forum.
Taipei’s concern is that an email invitation, rather than a formal diplomatic communication, could be read as downgrading its status or as treating it differently from other members. The foreign ministry said it had made its position clear to Beijing and to APEC partners.
The dispute comes at a sensitive time in cross-strait relations, with tensions over Taiwan’s international space, military activity around the island and Beijing’s pressure campaign to limit Taipei’s participation in international organisations.
Taiwan says it will still attend
Despite the protest, Taiwan has said it will still attend the APEC leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen. Officials said Taipei does not intend to boycott the forum and will participate as Chinese Taipei.
Taiwan’s government said it would continue to press its case on protocol while preparing for the meeting, where leaders are expected to discuss trade, supply chains, digital cooperation and regional economic resilience.
APEC, founded in 1989, brings together 21 member economies around the Pacific Rim, accounting for a large share of world trade and economic output. Its annual leaders’ meeting is one of the few high-level forums in which Taiwan and China both participate.
What happens next
The immediate question is whether Beijing will adjust the invitation process or provide a formal invitation in a form Taipei accepts. Taipei has not said whether it expects a revised invitation before the meeting.
Diplomats will also watch who represents Taiwan in Shenzhen and how the representative is received, as those details are often read as signals of the state of cross-strait relations.
For now, Taipei’s protest has put the protocol dispute back in public view, underscoring how even the mechanics of an invitation can become a flashpoint in the long-running contest over Taiwan’s international status.
Sources: Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Reuters [LINK: https://www.reuters.com]; Associated Press [LINK: https://apnews.com]; APEC Secretariat [LINK: https://www.apec.org].