Taiwan to send Acer founder Stan Shih to Shenzhen Apec, calls for ‘equal footing’
Taiwan will send Stan Shih, founder of computer giant Acer, to the Apec leaders’ summit in Shenzhen next week and has urged Beijing to ensure its delegation is treated with “dignity”. Taiwan has been a member economy of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum under the name “Chinese Taipei” since 1991. But the self-ruled island’s leaders have traditionally not attended the summit due to…
Taiwan is sending former Acer co-founder Stan Shih to the upcoming Apec summit in Shenzhen, urging Beijing to treat its delegation with dignity and equal footing. While Taiwan has been a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum since 1991 under the name "Chinese Taipei," its leaders have not typically attended the summit due to political sensitivities.
Shih, appointed by Taiwan's leader William Lai Ching-te, brings international perspective and industry expertise to the role. Beijing, the host of this year's Apec meetings, insists it handles Taiwan's participation according to the one-China principle and relevant agreements. However, Taiwan's chief trade negotiator and Labour Minister have also attended ministerial meetings in mainland Chinese cities recently.
Cross-strait relations have been tense since the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party returned to power in 2016, despite robust economic ties. Most nations, including the U.S., do not formally recognize Taiwan as independent, though Washington provides it with defensive weapons and opposes any forceful reunification.
Taiwan will hold local elections shortly after the summit, providing a potential gauge of the ruling party's popularity and opposition strength.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
