Beijing/Taipei, November 6, 2025 – As China prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen next November, Beijing has reiterated that Taiwan's participation hinges on strict adherence to the one-China principle, drawing sharp rebukes from Taipei and international allies. The dispute underscores deepening cross-strait frictions, with Taiwan accusing China of imposing new barriers to its involvement in the forum, which serves as one of the island's few high-level platforms for multilateral engagement. In a related development, Taiwan's government has revoked the citizenship of 50 individuals for acquiring Chinese identity documents, signaling heightened vigilance against perceived infiltration efforts from Beijing.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, established in 1989, brings together 21 member economies to promote sustainable growth, trade liberalization, and regional integration across the Pacific Rim. Unlike traditional international organizations, APEC refers to participants as "economies" rather than countries to accommodate politically sensitive members, including both China and Taiwan. Taiwan joined APEC in 1991 under the designation "Chinese Taipei," following protracted negotiations that mirrored the "Olympic model" for neutral nomenclature in global bodies. This arrangement allowed simultaneous membership for Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) and the People's Republic of China, but with restrictions: Taiwan sends ministerial-level delegates rather than its president, and participation is conditioned on compliance with a 1992 APEC memorandum of understanding that implicitly upholds the one-China framework.
China's selection as the 2026 host was confirmed by consensus at the 2024 APEC Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Peru, marking the third time Beijing will helm the event after Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014. President Xi Jinping announced Shenzhen as the venue during a handover ceremony on November 1, 2025, praising the city's transformation from a "backward fishing village" into a global innovation powerhouse adjacent to Hong Kong. Home to tech giants like Huawei, Tencent, and DJI, Shenzhen embodies China's push for high-quality development and self-reliance in artificial intelligence and the digital economy, areas Xi pledged to prioritize during the summit. The choice of Shenzhen, part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, is seen as a strategic showcase of China's reform-era achievements and a call for deeper regional cooperation on trade facilitation and cross-border digital flows.
However, the hosting announcement has reignited longstanding disputes over Taiwan's status. On November 5, 2025, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning declared at a regular briefing that "participating as a regional economy under the one-China principle and abiding by the terms and practices set forth in the relevant APEC MoU—this is the political prerequisite for Chinese Taipei’s participation in APEC." Mao emphasized China's "clear and firm" stance, dismissing Taiwan's safety concerns for delegates as a distraction from the core issue of sovereignty. Beijing views the one-China principle as non-negotiable, asserting that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory—a position rooted in the Chinese Civil War's unresolved legacy, where the Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan in 1949 and has since maintained de facto independence.
Taiwan's response was swift and defiant. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, speaking on the sidelines of a legislative session in Taipei on the same day, accused Beijing of backtracking on written commitments made during the 2024 Peru summit, where China pledged support for Taiwan's "equal participation" and the safety of all attendees while bidding for hosting rights. "China has now imposed numerous conditions on our participation in next year’s APEC summit in Shenzhen, which violates that prior commitment," Lin stated, vowing that Taipei would "safeguard our right to participate and will work with like-minded countries to launch countermeasures." He refrained from detailing the countermeasures but stressed that APEC's consensus-based decision-making ensures no resolutions can pass without Taiwan's approval.
APEC holds outsized importance for Taiwan, which faces exclusion from most UN-affiliated bodies due to Beijing's diplomatic pressure. Former President Tsai Ing-wen described it as "Taiwan’s most important international platform," crediting it with bolstering the island's role in global supply chains, particularly semiconductors. At the 2024 Peru meeting, Taiwan's envoy Lin Hsin-i highlighted the economy's transparent markets and commitment to high-standard trade pacts like the CPTPP. Yet, precedents cast shadows: In 2001, Taiwan boycotted the Shanghai summit after clashing with Beijing over delegate levels, a move that strained relations under then-President Chen Shui-bian. Relations were warmer during the 2014 Beijing hosting under pro-engagement President Ma Ying-jeou, who inked trade and tourism accords. Current President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing labels a "separatist," faces intensified military drills and rhetoric, complicating preparations.
The United States, a key APEC member without formal ties to Taiwan, swiftly backed Taipei. A State Department spokesperson affirmed on November 5 that Washington "insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies—including Taiwan—consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026." The U.S. pledged to press Beijing on security protocols for all participants, echoing concerns over potential disruptions amid rising cross-strait tensions. Analysts note that APEC's economic focus could mitigate politicization, but Taiwan's exclusion risks undermining the forum's credibility, especially as it grapples with post-pandemic recovery and geopolitical supply chain shifts.
Compounding these strains, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) announced on November 4 that approximately 50 individuals had their "Taiwan status"—effectively their Republic of China citizenship—revoked for holding Chinese household registrations or passports. MAC head Chiu Chui-cheng explained that the action stems from Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, which prohibits Taiwanese from acquiring mainland documents to prevent dual loyalties and Beijing's influence operations. Violators lose household registrations, ID cards, and passports, forfeiting civil rights tied to citizenship. Chiu did not disclose identities or further consequences, but the move follows a decade-long trend: Over 679 Taiwanese have faced similar revocations since 2015.
The policy targets what Taipei sees as Beijing's "united front" tactics to erode Taiwan's sovereignty, including incentives like residence permits for long-term mainland residents. Critics, including opposition voices, have slammed the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government for politicizing personal choices, arguing it alienates expatriates in China—estimated at over 400,000—and echoes McCarthy-era overreach. Chiu countered that the rule safeguards national security, warning that Chinese documents expose holders to Beijing's legal jurisdiction, data vulnerabilities, and potential conscription risks. High-profile cases, such as Taiwanese entertainers echoing pro-unification narratives on Weibo, have fueled investigations, with figures like Patty Hou and Ouyang Nana under scrutiny for possible mainland IDs.
As the 2026 APEC summit approaches, the clash over Taiwan's participation threatens to overshadow substantive discussions on trade, technology, and sustainability. While Beijing frames its conditions as upholding established norms, Taipei and its allies view them as a deliberate escalation aimed at marginalizing the island on the global stage. With no resolution in sight, the outcome will test APEC's ability to navigate geopolitical fault lines while advancing its core economic mission. For now, both sides appear entrenched—Beijing leveraging its hosting role to assert dominance, and Taiwan rallying international support to defend its hard-won space in multilateral forums.
