TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – All member economies of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum should enjoy equal and complete rights to participate at next year’s summit in China, the US State Department said Tuesday.

The comment followed China saying Taiwan’s presence at the November 2026 event in Shenzhen depended on the acceptance of the “one China principle.” The State Department said China should guarantee the safety of all participants, per CNA.

The US insisted that all member economies, including Taiwan, which attended APEC under the name of “Chinese Taipei,” should completely and equally participate in line with APEC tradition and regulations, the State Department said. The US added that China had already agreed to those terms when the 2026 summit was discussed in 2024 in Peru.

The US will continue to push for China to implement security arrangements and protocols to guarantee the safety of all participants at the Shenzhen meetings, the State Department said.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said Beijing was breaking its promises by adding conditions to Taiwan’s presence at the Shenzhen summit. Taiwan will cooperate with nations sharing similar values to counter China’s conditions together, the minister said.