Taipei:Taiwan is actively seeking a formal invitation from China to attend the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting, but the country is cautious about rushing into a decision regarding its attendance, Premier Cho Jung-tai stated on Tuesday.

According to Focus Taiwan, a report from the Liberty Times indicated that China, who is hosting the APEC summit in 2026, deviated from established protocol by sending an email instead of a formal invitation to Taiwan for the upcoming summit, slated for November 18-19 in Shenzhen.

Premier Cho, addressing reporters at the Legislative Yuan, emphasized the importance of China adhering to established APEC practices by dispatching a special envoy to personally deliver invitations to member economies. This, he argued, would ensure equal treatment for all participants, allowing Taiwan to participate with dignity. He further noted that Taiwan is continuing efforts to secure participation and is deliberating its options carefully.

China has previously hosted the APEC summit twice, in 2001 and 2014. In both instances, the nature of the invitations extended to Taiwan varied, reflecting the state of cross-strait relations at the time. Taiwan has been a full member of APEC since 1991, participating under the name "Chinese Taipei."

In addition, Premier Cho refrained from commenting on the potential Taiwan-Japan trade pact, which is reportedly similar to the Enhanced Trade Partnership between the UK and Taiwan signed in 2023. Nikkei Asia reported that the pact would cover areas such as economic resilience, industry cooperation, and digital trade, among others. Cho acknowledged the established communication channels between Taiwan and Japan but provided no further comment on the progress of these discussions.