Taiwanese Labor Minister Hung Sun-han arrived in Nanjing on Sept. 20 for the APEC Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting, becoming the first minister to travel to China since President 
Lai Ching-te took office. The first ministerial-level visit of the Lai administration comes at a time when Beijing has ramped up military and political pressure against Taipei, the Taipei Times reported.
How did the journey go? At Taoyuan International Airport, where CNA reported he arrived shortly after 4 p.m., Hung waved to the reporters waiting for him and thanked them for their hard work but made no statement. His flight reached Nanjing Lukou International Airport at 7:57 p.m., earlier than scheduled. Staff holding up signs met him inside the airport, and he left through a courtesy lane.
On what terms is Taiwan attending? Mainland Affairs Council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh had said beforehand that Taiwan is a formal APEC member with full membership and takes part under APEC rules and practice wherever a meeting is held, CNA reported. Past hosts have all handled the attendance of Taiwan's representatives under APEC's established model, he said. Liang also said Taiwanese officials attending APEC meetings pass through the other side's customs on APEC invitation letters and do not need a Taiwan Compatriot Permit.
How have lawmakers reacted? Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chung Chia-pin said the trip did not count as a cross-strait exchange and was simply an international meeting, the Liberty Times reported. Taiwan People's Party legislator Hung Yu-hsiang said the DPP government was "used to double standards."
What has the minister said? On Sept. 15, Hung Sun-han called APEC a very important international multilateral economic and trade meeting and said his ministry had worked with many APEC members under the forum's mechanisms, including an AI workshop co-hosted with the United States in July, CNA reported. "We are a formal member of APEC," he said, describing equal participation with parity and dignity as the core principle and saying Taiwan would follow APEC rules without placing limits on itself. Attending the eighth APEC Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting on Sept. 21, he said exchanges between economies there had raised the chances of further cooperation, the Liberty Times reported.
Figures referenced: Lai Ching-te. — JudgeMarket.
