Taiwan's labour minister Hung Sun-han travelled to China on Sunday to attend an APEC human resources ministerial meeting, marking the first ministerial-level visit to the country by a member of President Lai Ching-te's administration as Beijing continues to step up military and political pressure on Taipei.
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Hung is due to attend the APEC meeting in Nanjing, eastern China. His visit comes as China hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group this year, with the leaders' summit scheduled to take place in Shenzhen in November.
The labour ministry confirmed Hung had left Taiwan but gave no further details. He did not speak to reporters at the airport before his departure, according to Taiwanese media reports.
The visit is significant because APEC is one of the few international organisations in which Taiwan participates. It does so under the name "Chinese Taipei", while China generally refers to it as "China Taipei", a terminology Taiwan's government rejects.
Rare ministerial-level visit
Taiwanese officials have attended lower-level APEC events in China previously. But Hung's trip is the first ministerial-level visit to China by the Lai administration, making it a notable development amid strained cross-Strait ties.
Hung was previously a lawmaker for Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party and has been an outspoken advocate on issues including human rights in Hong Kong and Tibet.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office had not immediately responded to a request for comment.
China steps up pressure on Taiwan
The visit comes against the backdrop of growing tensions between Beijing and Taipei. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has rejected repeated offers from Lai to hold talks, calling him a "separatist".
Chinese military forces operate around Taiwan on an almost daily basis. Lai, meanwhile, has said that Taiwan's future can only be decided by its people.
Despite the political tensions, APEC provides a channel for officials from Taiwan and China to participate in the same multilateral forum.
Why Taiwan's ministerial visit is unusual
The trip is rare because Taiwan's senior officials generally avoid visiting mainland China due to the political sensitivities surrounding cross-Strait relations. Taiwan's president also does not attend the annual APEC leaders' summit.
Instead, Taipei typically sends a former senior official or a business leader to represent the president. In previous years, that role has been given to figures such as Morris Chang, founder of chip giant TSMC.
Taiwan has yet to announce who will represent Lai at this year's leaders' summit in Shenzhen.
The unusual nature of Hung's trip therefore stems not from Taiwan's participation in APEC itself, but from the ministerial level of the visit and the fact that it takes place in mainland China while relations between Taipei and Beijing remain highly strained.
