Taiwan's minister of labor is expected to attend a conference held in mainland China, marking the first such visit by a sitting cabinet member under President Lai Ching-te's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration. While his trip to China represents an exceptionally unconventional move for a cabinet official in a DPP government sharply at odds with Beijing, interpreting it as a sign of thawing cross-strait relations appears unwarranted.

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Taiwan's Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han. He is reportedly set to make the first visit to China by a sitting minister under Taiwan's DPP administration on the 21st. / Global Times

According to Beijing sources well-versed in cross-strait relations on the 3rd, Labor Minister Hung Sun-han reportedly stated on the 1st that he plans to depart on the 21st to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Human Resources Development Ministerial Meeting held in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Sources reported that Hung remarked, "The purpose of this visit is very straightforward. It is to attend an international conference and convey Taiwan's experiences and views on human resources and labor policy issues that interest all parties."

Zhang Han, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, also stated on the 2nd that as the host nation for the APEC summit to be held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in mid-November this year, China will handle participation in accordance with the One China principle and the relevant APEC memorandum. Amid keen interest over whether a Taiwanese representative can attend the APEC summit, this remark can be interpreted as Beijing's willingness to acknowledge the attendance of a Taiwanese cabinet minister at preceding APEC-related meetings. Naturally, Spokesperson Zhang attached the premise that all APEC participating parties have recognized the One China principle.

According to sources, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a May 13 statement that the memorandum Taiwan signed upon joining APEC in 1991 made no mention of the One China principle. Recalling that Taiwan and Hong Kong are separate members of APEC alongside China among its 21 member economies, this stance is not unfounded.

China's decision to permit Taiwan's participation in such an APEC ministerial meeting can be interpreted as a move to avoid disruptions to the Shenzhen APEC summit over Taiwanese participation issues. Taiwan also has little reason to reject Beijing's gesture. However, as Chen Kuei-ying, a Taiwanese businessperson in Beijing, highlighted, "Minister Hung's visit to China is merely pursued as part of the preliminary APEC schedule. Considering Taiwan's stance, it must be viewed entirely separately from recognizing the One China principle," cautioning against reading too much into the move.

                                                                                                          Hong Soon-do