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Taiwan's co-founder of Acer, Stan Shih, will represent the island at an upcoming regional summit in China, according to the Taiwanese government. World leaders, including the US President Donald Trump, are set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Shenzhen from November 18 to 19. Shih, who is 81 years old, was selected to represent Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te because of China's assertion that Taiwan is a part of its territory and not an independent nation.

Shih previously served as the CEO and chairman of Acer and represented Taiwan at the APEC summit in Sydney in 2007. The Presidential Office spokesperson, Karen Kuo, highlighted Shih's extensive experience in international exchanges and his knowledge of key global technology trends, such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and technological innovation, which are of interest to APEC.

Taiwan has been a full member of APEC since 1991, participating under the name "Chinese Taipei." China claims Taiwan as its territory and does not support the self-governing island's involvement in international organizations and exchanges with other countries. Taiwan's foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, accused China of unequal treatment after Taipei's invitation to the summit was sent via email rather than a personal delivery.

China last hosted the APEC summit in 2014, providing a personal invitation to Taiwan when it was under the Kuomintang party's rule. However, in 2001, when Taiwan was under the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, Taipei boycotted the summit after China sent the invitation by fax and rejected the government's selection of a representative.

This year, three ministerial-level officials, including Labour Minister Hung Sun-han, have been sent to APEC-related meetings in Nanjing, Hong Kong, and Suzhou. Hung stated that China has granted Taiwan equal rights and that the Taiwanese delegates did not experience any belittling during their participation in the conference.