Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said that China has "added many conditions" to its participation in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2026 and has abandoned its commitment to allow "equal" participation, Reuters reports.
APEC is one of the few international organizations that Taiwan, which claims to be part of China, is a member of, and the summit will take place at a time when relations between Taipei and Beijing have deteriorated amid an intensified Chinese military campaign to pressure the island.
Taiwan claims that China promised it the right to "equal participation" in 2024 and that the safety of attendees will be guaranteed.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said this week that Taiwan's participation in APEC activities must be in line with the "one China" principle, which Beijing sees as meaning that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one country, something the Taipei government rejects.
Talking to reporters in parliament, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said China had made promises at the 2024 APEC summit in Peru.
"During last year's APEC meeting in Peru, when China was vying for hosting rights next year, it made a written commitment to support Taiwan's equal participation, especially in terms of the safety of participants," Mr. Lin said.
"China has already imposed multiple conditions on our participation in the APEC summit in Shenzhen next year, which violates this previous commitment. We will defend our rights and coordinate with like-minded people to counter these actions."
Taiwan's democratically elected government states that China has no right to speak for or represent the island on the international stage.
Taiwan participates in APEC under the name "Chinese Taipei" and does not send its president to summits to avoid political problems.
No APEC member has formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
China refuses to talk to Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a "separatist".
The last time China hosted an APEC summit in 2014, relations with Taiwan were much better under then-President Ma Ying-jeou, who signed landmark trade and tourism agreements with Beijing.
However, in 2001, Taiwan boycotted the APEC summit in China after a disagreement over who it could send.