Labor Minister to attend APEC meeting in China as parties trade "united front" accusations
Taiwan's political fight over cross-strait contact flared again after word that Labor Minister Hung Sun-han plans to attend an APEC human resources meeting in Nanjing this month — awkward for the ruling DPP, which has called such trips Beijing's influence work.
- Hung is expected to travel to China in late September in his official capacity as minister.
- TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang accused the DPP of a double standard: everyone else's exchanges are called united front work, its own are fine.
- He pointed at DPP lawmaker and Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen, who has said all such exchanges are united front tactics.
- Huang framed his party's position as backing healthy, sustainable, equal-footing contact with China.
- The trip has not been officially confirmed, and Huang noted he was reacting to a magazine report.
Outlook: Expect the DPP to be pressed to explain the trip, with the row feeding into the run-up to Taiwan's local elections.