Taiwanese representative At the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, Lin Hsini said that he greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping by waving to him, but that the two did not shake hands or talk, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA .
ATIS is one of the few international forums in which both Beijing and Taipei participate, although the Taiwanese president did not attend the Lima summit over Chinese objections.
Lin, who is chairman of the government-backed investment fund "Taiwan Capital" (Taiwania Capital) and former Minister of Economy, told reporters that he had spoken with many representatives of the ATIS countries, but not with the Chinese president. They only greeted him with a gesture.
Beijing regards the island as its own territory, which has no right to maintain independent bilateral diplomatic relations with other countries. Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects Beijing's claims to sovereignty, Reuters notes.
This lack of contact with Xi contrasts with Lin's meeting with US President Joe Biden yesterday, which the Taiwanese delegation described as very "vital" exchange of views.
The United States is Taiwan's most important international supporter and arms supplier, although Washington severed formal diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 in favor of Beijing. Last year at the ATIS summit, Taiwan representative Morris Chang, founder of chip giant TSMC, also spoke with Biden, but not with Xi.
But in 2022, the then 91-year-old Chang has a "very nice" and "polite" a conversation with the Chinese leader at the ATIS forum in Bangkok, where Xi asked about Chiang's health, and Chiang congratulated Xi on the success of the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Reuters recalled.
Taiwan is grappling with China's strategy to get the island's diplomatic allies to cut ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing, and the desire Xi expressed on Saturday – China to host the forum in 2026 has alarmed the Taiwanese government.
The deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council said that among the island's representatives, as well as among other ATIS members, there were "all kinds of concerns and worries" related to Beijing hosting in 2026. " The fact that a consensus was reached (for China's hosting of the forum) means that Beijing has made promises in response to the concerns of all relevant members," the Taiwanese politician said.