Taiwan raises profile at APEC 2025 amid cross-strait tensions

Taiwan's representative Lin Hsin-i (林信義) engaged in trade discussions at the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) in South Korea on Nov. 1.

In the role of Taiwan's envoy to this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Lin engaged in talks with major economies, including the US and Japan, amid cross-strait tensions. 

Returning from South Korea, Lin stated that he had accomplished the three tasks given to him by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).

Lin, former Vice Premier and former Minister of Economic Affairs (MOEA), who currently serves as Taiwania Capital Chairman and the advisor to President Lai, said that he raised Taiwan's visibility in the 21-member forum, sustained dialogue with key partners such as the United States and Japan, and underscored Taiwan's indispensable role in the global semiconductor supply chain at the event.

The 2025 APEC Summit and Taiwan's visibility

The annual summit, hosted by South Korea for the first time in nearly two decades, convened leaders and representatives against a backdrop of slowing regional growth, technological decoupling, and geopolitical fault lines.

For Taiwan, which participates under the name Chinese Taipei and without presidential-level attendance, diplomatic space is both constrained and precious. Thus, the challenges for the Leader's Representative Lin and his predecessors who represented Taiwan have always been especially hard in that a more nuanced political layer was added.

Despite this, Lin said on Nov. 1 that he and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent talked about technology cooperation, semiconductors, as well as the security of safe supply chains during a 40-minute meeting in South Korea, per Reuters. Taiwanese news outlet CNA pointed out that talent cultivation and tech policy were also discussed.

Lin met with many leaders, including Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and the Philippines' President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. He told reporters that Taiwan's visibility at APEC improved and that a number of APEC member economies have sought cooperation in different advanced technology fields.

He noted that his delegation engaged in constructive and forward-looking exchanges with numerous leaders and representatives during APEC, many of whom conveyed strong interest in partnering with Taiwan on, among other fields, semiconductors, ICT, and Medtech.

Frances Chang (張雅程), a staffer at APEC Business Advisory Council Chinese Taipei, who was at the APEC summit held in Gyeongju, South Korea, wrote on a public post and confirmed with TCN about her own encounter with Lin working as the note taker. She shared a table with Lin and Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto. She said Lin's delivery landed "effectively."

Lin also met informally with Japanese officials, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Takaichi uploaded a photo of her meeting with Lin to social media, which caused a backlash from the government of China.


Lin said that the two discussed AI, medical, and disaster prevention issues, including those related to Typhoons and earthquakes that plague both Taiwan and Japan. He added that there have been numerous forums, collaborations, and exchanges between Taiwan and Japan in these areas and that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looked forward to further cooperation.

On a separate note, Lin shared that Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. expressed keen interest in deepening cooperation with Taiwan on shared challenges such as climate change and seismic resilience, noting that the two sides should broaden collaboration across multiple fields.

Pertaining to S. Korea, the hosting economy, Lin publicly told Korean media that Taiwan–Korea collaboration would strengthen the resilience of regional supply chains, and he elaborated on his understanding of Korea and the Korean nation.

Furthermore, Reuters cited that Taiwan's top trade negotiator, Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), also stated that she had exchanged ideas on trade with her US counterpart, Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer. She told reporters that she could not disclose what had been discussed when asked on Oct. 30.

On the following day, Reuters reported that the delegation put out a statement saying that the two talked about key topics such as ways to strengthen the trade and economic relations between the US and Taiwan. The statement also stated that "Technical consultations for the Taiwan-US reciprocal trade negotiations have been largely finalized, with document exchanges currently underway."

Three key mandates entrusted by President Lai

On Nov. 3, after the end of APEC 2025, the Office of the President held the 2025 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting delegation press conference, featuring Taiwan's envoy Lin himself as well as other ministers and high-ranking officials.


At the event, Lin stated that the first mission President Lai gave him was to strengthen Taiwan's economic resilience through deeper collaboration with APEC economies and a continued commitment to advancing regional prosperity.

He shared his firsthand account that Taiwan's efforts in AI, smart healthcare, digital health, and small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development drew notable interest and recognition from several participating members at the summit, reflecting a growing appreciation for the island's capacity for innovation and inclusive growth.

The second task, he continued, centered on sharing Taiwan's industrial experience as a pioneer and promoting public-private partnerships to address global challenges. Lin said, sharing his encounters in South Korea, that while many leaders were already well aware of Taiwan's strength in cutting-edge technologies, they were curious about how the island nurtured such an irreplaceable and formidable capacity.

He said that in recent decades, Taiwan's success has stemmed from the close synergy among government agencies, enterprises, and research institutes. This synergy forged a dense and dynamic industrial ecosystem that continues to fuel its competitive edge, he added.

At the press conference, Lin told reporters that he frequently cited this collaborative model in his meetings in South Korea as a testament to Taiwan's ability to translate policy coherence into industrial vitality.

The third mission was to advance a human-centric vision of AI development. Taiwan, Lin said, calls for an inclusive and responsible AI governance framework that ensures technological progress aligns with ethics and trust. In addition, Lin added that broader cross-border cooperation in talent cultivation and digital skills is essential to enable diverse sectors to benefit from smart transformation.

Lin said that through sustained public-private partnership (PPP), Taiwan continues to propose tangible solutions and stands ready to share its experiences with other economies in pursuit of a more prosperous Asia-Pacific region.

Next year's summit in China

Reuters reported that China, the hosting economy of APEC 2026, not only refuses to conduct dialogue with President Lai but also has ramped up military pressure against Taiwan.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office said in Beijing on Nov. 5 that China will handle Taiwan's APEC participation "in accordance with the one China principle,” a move which Taiwan's democratically elected government of Taiwan protested against, per Reuters.

China’s One China principle asserts that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of it, with the People’s Republic of China serving as its sole legitimate government.

Director General of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Jonathan Sun (孫儉元) stated that China provided written assurances on the question of equal participation and the personal safety of delegates from Taiwan.

However, in November 2025, MOFA Minister Lin Chia-lung said that Beijing broke its promises by adding extra terms to Taiwan's presence in the 2026 summit. On that note, the US State Department stated that all member economies, including Taiwan, should completely and equally participate in accordance with APEC tradition and regulations.

When asked if her father would take part in APEC as the Leader's Representative for Taiwan again, Lin's daughter said that, personally, she would love to see her dad, who is nearly 80 years old, spend more time with the family.