{
  "id": 8846775,
  "title": "Taiwan minister makes rare trip to China for APEC event",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/taiwan-minister-makes-rare-trip-to-china-for-apec-event",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T04:34:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/09/21/taiwan-minister-makes-rare-trip-to-china-for-apec-event"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Taiwan's Labour Minister Hung Sun-han embarked on a rare trip to China to attend an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) event, marking the first such ministerial-level visit during President Lai Ching-te's administration. This comes as China has intensified military and political pressure on Taiwan. APEC, one of the few international bodies that recognizes Taiwan, is hosting the leaders summit in Shenzhen, China in November. China has dismissed Lai's offers of talks, labeling him a separatist, and maintains military presence near Taiwan's borders. However, President Lai insists the people of Taiwan alone decide their future. The Labour Ministry confirmed Hung's departure for China, where he will participate in an APEC human resources ministerial meeting in Nanjing. No further details were provided, and Hung did not speak with reporters upon arrival. China's Taiwan Affairs Office stated that Taiwan's participation in APEC is conducted under the one China principle, as Taiwan is considered its territory. Hung, a former lawmaker for President Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, was known for advocating human rights in Hong Kong and Tibet. Taiwan utilizes the name \"Chinese Taipei\" for APEC and the Olympics to avoid direct confrontation with China, which prefers \"China Taipei.\" While lower-level Taiwanese officials have attended other APEC events in China, the island's president typically delegates this responsibility to former officials or business leaders, such as the founder of chipmaker TSMC. President Lai himself will not attend the Shenzhen summit to prevent potential political complications.",
  "summary": "Labour minister Hung Sun-han had left for China, where he will attend an APEC human resources ministerial meeting in the eastern city of Nanjing.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Taiwan minister makes rare trip to China for APEC event",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/taiwan-minister-makes-rare-trip-to-china-for-apec-event-8847069",
        "published": "2026-09-21T04:34:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}