China has invited Taiwan to send a delegation to this year’s APEC summit in Beijing through an official at China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO). China delivered the invitation on August 29.
The foreign ministry and the Mainland Affairs Council passed the invitation on to President Ma Ying-jeou after they received it from TAO Deputy Director Gong Qinggai during his visit to Taiwan last week.
The foreign ministry said that the invitation will be handled according to protocol, and declined to reveal any further details.
The last time China hosted the APEC leader’s summit was in 2001. At the time, China simply notified Taiwan of the event via fax. Taiwan refused to attend that year’s summit in protest of the way China delivered the invitation.