Minister of Labor Hong Shenhan will go to Nanjing to attend the APEC Ministerial Meeting, and China’s plan to issue a Taiwan Compatriot Permit on its behalf has caused controversy

Minister of Labor Hong Shenhan will attend the APEC Ministerial Meeting in Nanjing in late September. According to reports, we have received an invitation letter from APEC, but the Chinese Communist Party will take the initiative to help Hong Shenhan "issue a Taiwan compatriot certificate on behalf of him," treating him as a Chinese in the manner of Ah Q. Shen Youzhong, deputy chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, said in an interview today. Shen Youzhong pointed out that we still emphasize that APEC handles the entry and exit of officials "in accordance with common practice," and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labor will keep track of this part.

The APEC Leaders' Summit will be held in Shenzhen, China, in November. The Human Resources Development Minister's Meeting will first be held in Nanjing from September 22 to 24. Hong Shenhan will attend the Minister's Meeting in person, becoming the first ministerial official to go to China during the Lai Ching-te administration.

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Officials familiar with the matter revealed that when Hong Shenhan went to China to attend the APEC meeting, he would not apply for a card-type Taiwan Compatriot Permit, nor did he need to apply. He could directly use the APEC invitation letter to clear customs and enter the country. However, the Chinese Communist Party will take the initiative to help Hong Shenhan "hold and apply for" a card-type Taiwan compatriot certificate without the knowledge of the person concerned, and directly treat him as a Chinese citizen. This is very Ah Q's approach.

Wang Zhishengjin, an assistant professor at the Department of Border Police Science at the Central Police University, said in an interview that this can be divided into two levels. "Acting on behalf of others" is very common in important international conferences, including Minister Hong Shenhan's trip to South Korea last year. This is a method often adopted in international meetings. As for how China wants to explain this "acting on behalf of others", whether it is the so-called one-China principle or China's Ah Q spiritual victory method, I will not comment.

Wang Zhisheng pointed out that the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council's statement that Minister Hong Shenhan's trip to China must be handled in accordance with the "one-China principle" and the existing practices of APEC is actually just self-justification and a setback for itself. But in practice, what we are concerned about is that Hong Shenhan conducted the meeting in accordance with APEC's established practices.