Taiwan's labor minister is heading to a APEC meeting in China, and the government is brushing off criticism that the trip should be blocked.

• Labor Minister Hung Sun-han will attend an APEC human resources meeting in Nanjing in late September, with the main APEC leaders' summit in China set for November.
• A pro-opposition social media page demanded that Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council step in and stop the trip.
• Council deputy head Liang Wen-chieh fired back that Taiwan is an APEC member and attending APEC meetings is perfectly legitimate, calling the criticism sick and dismissing reporters who asked him to respond.
• Taiwan already sent a delegation to APEC trade talks in Suzhou in May, seated under its usual "Chinese Taipei" name.
• The ruling DPP caucus backs the trip as a chance to share Taiwan's labor experience internationally.

Outlook: Taiwan looks set to keep attending China-hosted APEC events, with attention now turning to who represents Taipei at November's leaders' summit.