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.
(Representative image): Taiwanese officials have attended lower-level APEC events in China previously.
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. 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.
Because aPEC is one of the few international organisations in which Taiwan participates, the visit is significant. Because taiwan’s senior officials generally avoid visiting mainland China due to the political sensitivities surrounding cross-Strait relations, the trip is rare.
It does so under the name “Chinese Taipei”, while China generally refers to it as “China Taipei”, a terminology Taiwan’s government rejects. Lai, meanwhile, has said that Taiwan’s future can only be decided by its people. 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. Chinese military forces operate around Taiwan on an almost daily basis. Taiwan’s president also does not attend the annual APEC leaders’ summit.
Taiwanese officials have attended lower-level APEC events in China previously. 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.